Search results for ""Pocket""

Explore the three unique cities of India, popularly known as the "Golden Triangle".Whether you want to explore the terracotta-hued city of Jaipur, sample delicious Mughlai dishes in Delhi or spot tigers in North India's national parks, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that Delhi, Agra and Jaipur have to offer. From the spectacular Taj Mahal to the ornate Shekhawati palaces, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur are packed with architectural wonders. But the "Golden Triangle" is not all about historic monuments and imposing forts. Beyond the three unique cities lies the region's dramatic landscapes that feature sacred towns, national parks brimming with wildlife, fascinating museums and a kaleidoscope of festivals. Our updated 2023 travel guide brings Dehli, Agra and Jaipur to life.DK Eyewitness Dehli, Agra and Jaipur is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime.Inside DK Eyewitness Dehli, Agra and Jaipur you will find: -A fully-illustrated top experiences guide: our expert pick of Dehli, Agra and Jaipur's must-sees and hidden gems.-Accessible itineraries to make the most out of each and every day.-Expert advice: honest recommendations for getting around safely, when to visit each sight, what to do before you visit, and how to save time and money.-Colour-coded chapters to every part of Dehli, Agra and Jaipur and beyond, from the Red Fort to the Taj Mahal, Keoladeo Ghana National Park to Corbett National Park.-Practical tips: the best places to eat, drink, shop and stay.-Detailed maps and walks to help you navigate the region country easily and confidently.Touring the country? Try our DK Eyewitness India. Want the best of Delhi in your pocket? Try our DK Eyewitness Top 10 Delhi.

Read more less

In this engaging and readable book, Peter Decherney tells the story of Hollywood, from its nineteenth-century origins to the emergence of internet media empires. He recounts how the studio system rose out of the ashes of Thomas Edison's trust to create the handful of companies that have dominated global screens and imaginations for more than 100 years. Throughout, he reveals that the elements we take to be a natural part of the Hollywood experience--stars, genre-driven storytelling, blockbuster franchises, etc.--are really the product of cultural, political, and commercial forces. In many ways, Hollywood has remained the same for over a century. It has always been a global industry based in the U.S., and its storytelling has always unfolded across media, adapting plays, book, and comics and spinning off product tie-ins, television series, and social media campaigns. But major events have also continually remade Hollywood. The studios have weathered wars, disruptive new technologies, and competition by adopting a strategy of risk management and assimilation. This book explores the challenges of new technologies, including sound, home video, and computer graphics. And it examines Hollywood's responses to World War II, independent film movements, and regulations imposed by Washington. Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction is filled with discussions of well-known movies, stars, and directors, encapsulating the past century of research on Hollywood while adding many original insights and stories. It is the perfect introduction for readers who want to better understand the history and functioning of our screen-saturated world. 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.

Read more less

Public health is a term much used in the media, by health professionals, and by activists. At the national or the local level there are ministries or departments of public health, whilst international agencies such as the World Health Organisation promote public health policies, and regional organisations such as the European Union have public health funding and policies. But what do we mean when we speak about 'public health'? In this Very Short Introduction Virginia Berridge explores the areas which fall under the remit of public health, and explains how the individual histories of different countries have come to cause great differences in the perception of the role and responsibilities of public health organisations. Thus, in the United States litigation on public health issues is common, but state involvement is less, while some Scandinavian countries have a tradition of state involvement or even state ownership of industries such as alcohol in connection with public health. In its narrowest sense, public health can refer to the health of a population, the longevity of individual members, and their freedom from disease, but it can also be anticipatory, geared to the prevention of illness, rather than simply the provision of care and treatment. In the way public health deals with healthy as well as sick people it is therefore a separate concept from health services, which deal with the sick population. Drawing on a wide range of international examples, Berridge demonstrates the central role of history to understanding the amorphous nature of public health today. 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.

Read more less

The Gothic is wildly diverse. It can refer to ecclesiastical architecture, supernatural fiction, cult horror films, and a distinctive style of rock music. It has influenced political theorists and social reformers, as well as Victorian home décor and contemporary fashion. Nick Groom shows how the Gothic has come to encompass so many meanings by telling the story of the Gothic from the ancient tribe who sacked Rome to the alternative subculture of the present day. This unique Very Short Introduction reveals that the Gothic has predominantly been a way of understanding and responding to the past. Time after time, the Gothic has been invoked in order to reveal what lies behind conventional history. It is a way of disclosing secrets, whether in the constitutional politics of seventeenth-century England or the racial politics of the United States. While contexts change, the Gothic perpetually regards the past with fascination, both yearning and horrified. It reminds us that neither societies nor individuals can escape the consequences of their actions. The anatomy of the Gothic is richly complex and perversely contradictory, and so the thirteen chapters here range deliberately widely. This is the first time that the entire story of the Gothic has been written as a continuous history: from the historians of late antiquity to the gardens of Georgian England, from the mediaeval cult of the macabre to German Expressionist cinema, from Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy to American consumer society, from folk ballads to vampires, from the past to the present. 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.

Read more less

Does history matter? This book argues not that history matters, but that Islamic history does. This Very Short Introduction introduces the story of Islamic history; the controversies surrounding its study; and the significance that it holds - for Muslims and for non-Muslims alike. Opening with a lucid overview of the rise and spread of Islam, from the seventh to twenty first century, the book charts the evolution of what was originally a small, localised community of believers into an international religion with over a billion adherents. Chapters are also dedicated to the peoples - Arabs, Persians, and Turks - who shaped Islamic history, and to three representative institutions - the mosque, jihad, and the caliphate - that highlight Islam's diversity over time. Finally, the roles that Islamic history has played in both religious and political contexts are analysed, while stressing the unique status that history enjoys amongst Muslims, especially compared to its lowly place in Western societies where history is often seen as little more than something that is not to be repeated. Some of the questions that will be answered are: · How did Islam arise from the obscurity of seventh century Arabia to the headlines of twenty first century media? · How do we know what we claim to know about Islam's rise and development? · Why does any of this matter, either to Muslims or to non-Muslims? 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.

Read more less

From wicked queens, beautiful princesses, elves, monsters, and goblins, to giants, glass slippers, poisoned apples, magic keys, and mirrors, the characters and images of fairy tales have cast a spell over readers and audiences, both adults and children, for centuries. These fantastic stories have travelled across cultural borders, and been passed on from generation to generation, ever-changing, renewed with each re-telling. Few forms of literature have greater power to enchant us and rekindle our imagination than a fairy tale. But what is a fairy tale? Where do they come from and what do they mean? What do they try and communicate to us about morality, sexuality, and society? The range of fairy tales stretches across great distances and time; their history is entangled with folklore and myth, and their inspiration draws on ideas about nature and the supernatural, imagination and fantasy, psychoanalysis, and feminism. In this Very Short Introduction, Marina Warner digs into a rich hoard of fairy tales in all their brilliant and fantastical variations, in order to define a genre and evaluate a literary form that keeps shifting through time and history. Drawing on a glittering array of examples, from classics such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty, the Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, and Hans Andersen's The Little Mermaid, to modern-day realizations including Walt Disney's Snow White, Warner forms a persuasive case for fairy tale as a crucial repository of human understanding and culture. 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.

Read more less

What is Pakistan? The name refers to a seventy-year-old post-colonial product of the bloodiest partition of territory and population that accompanied the end of British empire in South Asia. But the region of the Indus Valley has a four-thousand-year-old history, and was the site of one of the earliest and greatest riverine civilisations in the world. Although the modern nation of Pakistan as we know it was created as a homeland for the Muslims of British India, it is impossible to understand the complex tapestry of linguistic, ethnic, and cultural identities and tensions of the region without tracing its deep past. This Very Short Introduction looks at Pakistan as one of the two nation-states of the Indian sub-continent that emerged in 1947. Pippa Virdee reaches into the ancient past to demonstrate the influence of trajectories of human settlement and civilisation on Pakistan's contemporary political arena, and shows how the longer continuities between the land and its peoples are as important as the short-term changes in the political landscape. She considers Pakistan's religion and society, the state and the military, everyday life, popular culture, languages and literature, as well as Pakistan's relationship with the rest of the world. Virdee also looks to the challenges of the 21st century and the future of Pakistan. bVery Short Introductionsb: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring /b 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.

Read more less

bVery Short Introductionsb: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring /b We regularly encounter appalling wrongdoing, with the media offering a depressing parade of violent assault, rape, and murder. Yet sometimes even the cynical and world-weary amongst us are taken aback. Sometimes we confront a crime so terrible, so horrendous, so deeply wrong, that we reach for the word 'evil'. The 9/11 terrorist attacks were not merely wrong, but evil. A serial killer who tortures his victims is not merely a bad person. He is evil. And as the Holocaust showed us, we must remain vigilant against the threat of evil. But what exactly is evil? If we use the word 'evil', are we buying into a naive Manichean worldview, in which two cosmic forces of good and evil are pitted against one another? Are we guilty of demonizing our enemies? How does 'evil' go beyond what is merely bad or wrong? This Very Short Introduction explores the answers that philosophers have offered to these questions. Luke Russell discusses why some philosophers think that evil is a myth or a fantasy, while others think that evil is real, and is a concept which plays an important role in contemporary secular morality. Along the way he asks whether evil is always horrific and incomprehensible, or if it can be banal. Considering if there is a special psychological hallmark that sets the evildoers apart from the rest of us, Russell also engages with ongoing discussions over psychopathy and empathy, analysing the psychology behind evildoing. 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.

Read more less

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Is religion a force for war, or a force for peace? Some of the most terrible wars in history have been caused and motivated by religion. Much of the violence that fills our screens today springs from the same source. Yet some of the bravest pacifists have also been deeply religious people, and many of the laws and institutions that work to soften or prevent war have deep religious roots. This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of the history of religion and war, and a framework for analysing it. Ranging from the warrior gods of Ancient Greece and Rome, and the ethical drama of the Mahabharata, through the Islamic wars of conquest and the Crusades, to present day conflicts in Sri Lanka and the Balkans, it considers the entanglement of war and religion. Yet from Just War theory and the restraints on war-making imposed by Islamic jurisprudence, through the Pax Christi of the middle ages, to the non-violence of Gandhi and Bacha Khan; there is also a story to be told of peace and religion as well. Jolyon Mitchell and Joshua Rey consider both sides of the age long drama of war and religion, challenging assumptions at the most fundamental level. Throughout, they encourage a more sophisticated and well-grounded view on these issues that have had such weight in the past, and continue to shape our present and future. 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.

Read more less

Concentration camps are a relatively new invention, a recurring feature of twentieth century warfare, and one that is important to the modern global consciousness and identity. Although the most famous concentration camps are those under the Nazis, the use of concentration camps originated several decades before the Third Reich, in the Philippines and in the Boer War, and they have been used again in numerous locations, not least during the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. Over the course of the twentieth century they have become defining symbols of humankind's lowest point and basest acts. In this Very Short Introduction, Dan Stone gives a global history of concentration camps, and shows that it is not only "mad dictators" who have set up camps, but instead all varieties of states, including liberal democracies, that have made use of them. Setting concentration camps against the longer history of incarceration, he explains how the ability of the modern state to control populations led to the creation of this extreme institution. Looking at their emergence and spread around the world, Stone argues that concentration camps serve the purpose, from the point of view of the state in crisis, of removing a section of the population that is perceived to be threatening, traitorous, or diseased. Drawing on contemporary accounts of camps, as well as the philosophical literature surrounding them, Stone considers the story camps tell us about the nature of the modern world as well as about specific regimes. 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.

Read more less

This book introduces the vital elements of American politics, emphasizing how these elements have evolved into the form they take today. By using a historical-institutional approach to the various parts of American politics, Valelly communicates that the American political system is, and always has been, a work in progress--one unfolding within, and also constantly updating, an eighteenth-century constitutional framework. Valelly begins by asking what Americans want from their politics and answers with a four-part analysis: (1) the politics of "peace and prosperity," (2) the sometimes illiberal politics of conformity and Americanization, (3) the politics of large-scale problem-solving (e.g., the abolition of slavery) and "perfection of the Union," and (4) the deep public desire for constitutional continuity. The last item provides the organizational framework/theme for the rest of the book. Additional chapters treat parties and polarization (stressing that contemporary polarization reinforces constitutional persistence because it provides for a mix of policy immobility and power-sharing between parties that bitterly disagree); a survey of the basic institutions: the Presidency, Congress, the judicial branch, the unelected bureaucracy of the independent agencies, and state and local governments. A third group of chapters deals with political communication, public opinion, voting and the boundaries of the electorate, and the politics of government steering of the economy. Finally, Valelly considers the puzzle of the persistence for more than two centuries of the basic constitutional forms established in 1787. The author employs a mix of quantitative data and historical examples to illustrate the main themes. 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.

Read more less

The historical trajectory of decadent culture runs from ancient Rome, to nineteenth-century Paris, Victorian London, fin de siècle Vienna, Weimar Berlin, and beyond. The first of these, the decline of Rome, provides the pattern for both aesthetic and social decadence, a pattern that artists and writers in the nineteenth century imitated, emulated, parodied, and otherwise manipulated for aesthetic gain. What begins as the moral condemnation of modernity in mid-nineteenth century France on the part of decadent authors such as Charles Baudelaire ends up as the perverse celebration of the pessimism that imperial decline, whether real or imagined, involves. This delight in decline informs the so-called breviary, or even bible, of decadence from Joris-Karl Huysmans's À Rebours, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Aubrey Beardsley's drawings, Gustav Klimt's paintings, and numerous other works. In this Very Short Introduction, David Weir explores these conflicting attitudes towards modernity present in decadent culture by examining the difference between aesthetic decadence -- the excess of artifice -- and social decadence, which involves excess in a variety of forms, whether perversely pleasurable or gratuitously cruel. Such contrariness between aesthetic and social decadence led some of its practitioners to substitute art for life and to stress the importance of taste over morality, a maneuver with far-reaching consequences, especially as decadence enters the realm of popular culture today. 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.

Read more less

Rather than providing a dictionary of superstitions, of which there are already numerous excellent, exhaustive and, in many cases, academic works which list superstitions from A to Z, Bainton gives us an entertaining flight over the terrain, landing from time to time in more thought-provoking areas. He offers an overview of humanity's often illogical and irrational persistence in seeking good luck and avoiding misfortune. While Steve Roud's two excellent books - The Penguin Dictionary of Superstitions and his Pocket Guide - and Philippa Waring's 1970 Dictionary concentrate on the British Isles, Bainton casts his net much wider. There are many origins which warrant the full back story, such as Friday the thirteenth and the Knights Templar, or the demonisation of the domestic cat resulting in 'cat holocausts' throughout Europe led by the Popes and the Inquisition. The whole is presented as a comprehensive, entertaining narrative flow, though it is, of course, a book that could be dipped into, and includes a thorough bibliography. Schoenberg, who developed the twelve-tone technique in music, was a notorious triskaidekaphobe. When the title of his opera Moses und Aaron resulted in a title with thirteen letters, he renamed it Moses und Aron. He believed he would die in his seventy-sixth year (7 + 6 = 13) and he was correct; he also died on Friday the thirteenth at thirteen minutes before midnight.As Sigmund Freud wrote, 'Superstition is in large part the expectation of trouble; and a person who has harboured frequent evil wishes against others, but has been brought up to be good and has therefore repressed such wishes into the unconscious, will be especially ready to expect punishment for his unconscious wickedness in the form of trouble threatening him from without.'

Read more less

A dazzling, epic biography of Levon Helm––the beloved, legendary drummer and singer of the Band.He sang the anthems of a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story––told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians––is the rollicking story of American popular music itself. In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed "blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision," as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect "in the pocket" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul. Levon traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, The Last Waltz, and beyond with the man Dylan called "one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation." Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson––and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997. Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012. Levon is a penetrating, skillfully told tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight.

Read more less

Across the world, welfare states are under challenge—or were never developed extensively in the first place—while non-state actors increasingly provide public goods and basic welfare. In many parts of the Middle East and South Asia, sectarian organizations and political parties supply basic services to ordinary people more extensively and effectively than governments. In sub-Saharan Africa, families struggle to pay hospital fees, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) launch welfare programs as states cut subsidies and social programs. Likewise, in parts of Latin America, international and domestic NGOs and, increasingly, private firms are key suppliers of social welfare in both urban and rural communities. Even in the United States, where the welfare state is far more developed, secular NGOs and faith-based organizations are critical components of social safety nets. Despite official entitlements to public welfare, citizens in Russia face increasing out-of-pocket expenses as they are effectively compelled to seek social services through the private market In The Politics of Non-State Social Welfare, a multidisciplinary group of contributors use survey data analysis, spatial analysis, in-depth interviews, and ethnographic and archival research to explore the fundamental transformation of the relationship between states and citizens. The book highlights the political consequences of the non-state provision of social welfare, including the ramifications for equitable and sustainable access to social services, accountability for citizens, and state capacity. The authors do not assume that non-state providers will surpass the performance of weak, inefficient, or sometimes corrupt states but instead offer a systematic analysis of a wide spectrum of non-state actors in a variety of contexts around the world, including sectarian political parties, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, family networks, informal brokers, and private firms.

Read more less

Durable and waterproof, with a handy slipcase and an easy-fold format, Lonely Planet's Singapore City Map is your passport to travelling with ease. Get more from your map and your trip with images and information about top city attractions, walking tour routes, transport maps, itinerary suggestions, an extensive street and site index, and practical travel tips and directory. With this easy-to-use, full-colour navigation tool, you can get to the heart of Singapore, so begin your journey now! Durable and waterproof Easy-fold format and convenient size Handy slipcase Full colour and easy to use Extensive street and site index Images and information about top city attractions Handy transport maps Walking tour routes Practical travel tips and directory Itinerary suggestions Covers Chinatown, EW17, Kampong Glam, Little India, Marina South, Sentosa Cove and Tanjong Pagar. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Singapore, our most comprehensive guidebook to the city, covering the top sights and most authentic offbeat experiences. Or check out Lonely Planet's Pocket Singapore, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss experiences for a quick trip. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' Fairfax Media (Australia)

Read more less

Hitler's U-boats and his dreaded pocket battleships such as Bismarck and Tirpitz - Churchill dubbed the latter as 'The Beast' - continue to fascinate an ever-growing interest in the Second World War. Despite a numerical disadvantage when compared the Royal Navy, Hitler's U-boats wrecked havoc in the Atlantic against vulnerable convoys and the doomed Bismarck took on the might of Britain's battleships in a mighty clash of the titans. Hitler's Naval Bases, a work of love that took the author over forty years to research and write, is the most comprehensive and dedicated book on the subject matter. A world's first, it covers bases in remarkable detail from the smallest and unmanned locations to the largest dedicated bases in Lorient, Kiel and Wilhemshaven. The book covers the different types of naval base from isolated and forgotten bases, escape and survival bases, to the extremities of the main naval bases. The functions and various departments - artillery, ship construction to dockyard medical service - are explained as are North Sea naval bases in Emden, The Weser Ports and Cuxhaven, Baltic ports, the major bases that never were ('The Lobster's Claw on Heligoland') to France, Asia and German colonies, including re-fuelling in Spain and bases located in Russia and in the 'Heart of England'. Also covered are naval artillery and naval infantry as well as the anatomy of coastal artillery batteries, the shipping yards and even rules for living in such conditions. A most lavish and phenomenal book, it is beautifully illustrated with over 200 unpublished photographs complemented with thousands of unique interviews with veterans during the war as well as survivors. A labour of love, Hitler's Naval Bases is written by a world's leading authoritarian figure and is an essential book for those interested in the armed forces of the Third Reich.

Read more less

University students are typically exposed to a much wider variety of academic sources at university – including monographs, textbooks, journals, reports – and, crucially, a much larger proportion of their time is spent on independent academic reading, relative to their time in school. There are lots of study skills texts which deal with academic writing in some form or other, but there are far fewer resources which provide helpful guidance about how to manage the early stages of an assignment. The quality of a student’s written work reflects the quality of their reading and note-making skills. If students don’t understand what their assignment is asking; if students don’t take control of their reading list and consult the most appropriate sources; and if students don’t end the process of reading with meaningful notes it’s very unlikely that they will score high marks for their assignment. This book helps readers to take charge of their reading at university and provides succinct and practical guidance at key stages of the assignment. It helps students to understand what their assignment title means and how to identify useful, reliable academic sources. It helps students to apply different reading strategies, depending on the task at hand, and to approach texts actively so that they are questioning and evaluating materials as they go. In addition to reading strategies, the Pocket introduces readers to useful strategies and tips for note-making. The final part helps readers to make the most of their notes by engaging with and reviewing the material they’ve created. New for this edition: - A science-based example for STEM students - New section which helps readers think about what type of information and evidence they need to find - New tips on managing large volumes of reading - Updated material on note-making software and online tools to reflect latest technology

Read more less

Clinical Skills for Nurses A handy introduction to the essential practical procedures that nurses need to know Clinical Skills for Nurses is designed to help student nurses understand the practice of common clinical skills and procedures in various healthcare environments, from the acute hospital ward to the community setting. Written by a highly experienced nurse and Practice Development Trainer, this pocket-sized guide covers 16 clinical skills in an accessible, step-by-step format. Numerous activities and exercises build your confidence and competence, whilst end-of-chapter questions test your understanding of intravenous therapy, tracheotomy care, bowel care, early patient assessment and response, basic life support, and more. Now in its second edition, Clinical Skills for Nurses provides new and updated material throughout, including information about the PUREWICK female external catheter, constipation, moisture lesions, Aseptic Non-Touch Technique (ANTT), and the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2). This edition also includes more ‘Test Your Knowledge’ questions, new links to internet resources, and coverage of four additional clinical skills: stoma care, continence care, anaphylaxis, and performing an electrocardiogram (ECG). Reflects the current NMC standards for pre-registration education and the Essential Skills Clusters Provides the underpinning knowledge of how each clinical skill should be performed Features valuable tips, hints, and advice from real-life student nurses Includes numerous examples drawn from a variety of real-world nursing and healthcare scenarios Contains a wealth of learning tools, including glossary boxes, key points, learning outcomes, illustrations, tables, and graphs Developed by nursing students for nursing students, Clinical Skills for Nurses, Second Edition is a must-have guide for all student nurses as well as newly qualified or more experienced nurses looking to refresh their knowledge of clinical skills.

Read more less

THE THIRD BOOK IN THE PSAMMEAD TRILOGY, FOLLOWING FIVE CHILDREN AND IT AND THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET'My all-time favourite classic children's author' JACQUELINE WILSON 'I love her books, particularly the Five Children and It sequence' NEIL GAIMAN 'The cheerful, child-centred anarchy of Five Children and It is still my inspiration and delight' KATE SAUNDERS At a pet shop near the British Museum, the children discover their old friend the Psammead, caged and miserable. The children pool their pocket money together to rescue it, and in gratitude, the Psammead tells them to buy an amulet-or rather, half an amulet. Incomplete, the magic charm can take them to any place and time to search for its other half; but when the amulet is whole, it will have the power to give the children their hearts' desire. In their quest, the children visit ancient Egypt, Atlantis and Babylon-they even meet Julius Caesar. But their adventures are not without danger: if they lose the amulet on their travels they will be lost in time, unable to ever return home.With all the original illustrations by H. R. Millar, beautifully reproduced.This collection of the best children's literature, curated by Virago, will be coveted by children and adults alike. These are timeless tales with beautiful covers, that will be treasured and shared across the generations. Some titles you will already know; some will be new to you, but there are stories for everyone to love, whatever your age. Our list includes Nina Bawden (Carrie's War, The Peppermint Pig), Rumer Godden (The Dark Horse, An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden, The Gift Giving), E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Little Princess,The Secret Garden) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did Trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.

Read more less

In one compact resource, Echocardiography Review Guide, 4th Edition, provides both a concise review and an effective self-assessment for exam preparation. Easy-to-digest, bulleted text summarizes key concepts and gives precise step-by-step instructions for performing and interpreting echocardiographic studies. Study and self-assessment questions throughout help you increase your knowledge and identify areas for further study. This study guide is an ideal companion to Dr. Otto's Textbook of Clinical Echocardiography and is a must-have resource for anyone preparing for the echocardiography boards, the PTEeXAM, the diagnostic cardiac sonographer's exam, or other sonography exams. Includes updated images, content, and 30% NEW multiple-choice questions to address changes in the field and in the revised companion text, Textbook of Clinical Echocardiography. Contains concise, step-by-step instructions and questions on all aspects of echo use and interpretation, including how to record echos, avoid pitfalls, perform calculations, and understand the fundamentals for every type of cardiac problem. Teaches and tests in one convenient volume! Questions and answers are fed into an assessment and testing module on the website for convenient learning and review. Helps you prepare for exams with "The Echo Exam" section included in each chapter, which features a summary of how to perform the procedure along with all the necessary calculations, and diagnostic information you may encounter. Offers additional images and examples to help readers understand the concepts presented in the Textbook of Clinical Echocardiography. A quick reference guide and learning tool to keep "in your pocket" for integrating your clinical experience with didactic learning. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

Read more less

You know the Carnegie Institute and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but have you ever visited the Toy Robot Museum in Adamstown or Bill's Old Bike Barn in Bloomsburg? The Tom Mix Museum in Mix Run? The Houdini Museum in Scranton? Pennsylvania's many small museums are easy to miss in an age of instant information and superhighways. After reading Therese Boyd's guide, however, you'll rush to get off the beaten track to find them. Pennsylvania's little wonders are as entertaining as they are educational. Unlike large museums, which display masterpieces of art and other "important" items, small museums feature objects that would otherwise be thrown away and forgotten—everything from spittoons to high button shoes and trolley cars. Some small museums, such as the Richard Allen Museum, serve a serious purpose; others are playful, even eccentric. All offer a fresh perspective on how people have lived and worked. Boyd, who has visited small museums throughout Pennsylvania, concentrates on the forty-two museums she considers most worth a detour. These range from Kready's Museum, where visitors can savor the simple pleasures of a country store, to the Vocal Groups Hall of Fame and Museum, where music fans can listen to "golden oldies" and pore over memorabilia (including sequined dresses once worn by the Supremes). Boyd's personal favorite is the museum in the home of Christian Sanderson, a man who collected literally hundreds of historical relics, not the least of which is the purse found in the apron pocket of Jennie Wade, the only civilian killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Boyd's book is a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the best small museums in Pennsylvania. It weaves amusing anecdotes about Boyd's own visits to the museums along with descriptions of their histories and collections. Her guide provides travel directions as well as complete information about each museum's visiting hours, website, and contact information.

Read more less

The Everyday Mathematics (EM) program was developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) and is now used in more than 185,000 classrooms by almost three million students. Its research-based learning delivers the kinds of results that all school districts aspire to. Yet despite that tremendous success, EMoften leaves parents perplexed. Learning is accomplished not through rote memorization, but by actually engaging in real-life math tasks. The curriculum isn't linear, but rather spirals back and forth, weaving concepts in and out of lessons that build overall understanding and long-term retention. It's no wonder that many parents have difficulty navigating this innovative mathematical and pedagogic terrain.Now help is here. Inspired by UCSMP's firsthand experiences with parents and teachers, Everyday Mathematics for Parents will equip parents with an understanding of EM and enable them to help their children with homework the heart of the great parental adventure of ensuring that children become mathematically proficient.Featuring accessible explanations of the research-based philosophy and design of the program, and insights into the strengths of EM, this little book provides the big-picture information that parents need. Clear descriptions of how and why this approach is different are paired with illustrative tables that underscore the unique attributes of EM. Detailed guidance for assisting students with homework includes explanations of the key EM concepts that underlie each assignment. Resources for helping students practice math more at home also provide an understanding of the long-term utility of EM. Easy to use, yet jam-packed with knowledge and helpful tips, Everyday Mathematics for Parents will become a pocket mentor to parents and teachers new to EM who are ready to step up and help children succeed. With this book in hand, you'll finally understand that while this may not be the way that you learned math, it's actually much better.

Read more less

This title shows how to create special napkin and table displays for every occasion, with more than 200 inspirational photographs. It includes beautiful napkin folds for every entertaining occasion, with classic designs as well as innovative new ideas. It begins with easy techniques such as creating simple triangles and rolls, then moves on to more advanced folds such as diagonal pockets and intricate flowers. It also features elegant ways of decorating napkins with stencils, cross stitch designs, applique and fresh herbs. Projects include the Wave, Japanese Pleat, Flickering Flames, Lover's Knot, Decorative Pocket, Fanned Bow, Bishop's Hat, Willow-twig Napkin Rings, and many more. Professional secrets revealed - how to fold and decorate napkins to commercial catering standards. It is illustrated with over 200 stunning photographs, with each project shown in step-by-step detail. It is a delightful handbook on successful table decorating. The art of napkin folding has soared in popularity in recent years. Beautifully folded napkins add elegance and style to even the simplest of table settings, and will always delight and amaze your guests. This book reveals the secrets of perfect napkin folding through step-by-step projects. There are more than 30 beautiful designs to choose from, including classics such as the Spreading Fan, Rolled Napkins and Water Lily, as well as a whole range of original and innovative ideas such as the Sailboat, GI Cap and Elf's Boot. The instructions are easy to follow, and each sequence ends with an attractive photograph of the finished fold. The book also includes a range of superb practical table decorating projects, including napkin rings, floral displays, and many other design ideas. It is the perfect guide for anyone wishing to create their own stunning table settings at home.

Read more less

"[Wolff's poems] are stylistic and tonal shapeshifters. Hip, contemplative, and dark and resistant to the hunky-dory, the New Agey, and the prescriptive, they're unnerving, funny, and occasionally subversive."-Bookforum Poet, novelist, and Fence Books founder Rebecca Wolff's internal monologue made external in poetry is uncanny. Her musical and darkly funny fourth collection, One Morning-, spans language, culture, art history, love, passion, grief, consumerism, environmental devastation, and the ekphrastic experience of pop and high culture. She experiments with torque, energy, narrative-two steps ahead of herself with the reader on her heels. From "Today Is a Good Day to Fly (Life Begins at)": I'm really digging this blue sky after so much rain with my regular menstrual cycle my Def Jam progesterone cream the blow-in (in my pocket) (ripped out) from in-flight music magazine "touching cloth" like the Romantics do. Insert jitney. Rebecca Wolff is the author of four collections of poetry, one novel, and numerous pieces of occasional prose. Her first book, Manderley, was selected for the National Poetry Series by Robert Pinsky. Her second, Figment, was selected for the Barnard Women Poets Prize by Claudia Rankine and Eavan Boland. Her third, The King, was published by W. W. Norton in 2009. Her novel The Beginners was published by Riverhead in 2011. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and the Millay Colony for the Arts. In 1998, Wolff founded the influential literary journal Fence; in 2001 she founded Fence Books and launched The Constant Critic website. Wolff lives in Hudson, New York, and is currently a fellow at the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany.

Read more less

A dazzling, epic biography of Levon Helm––the beloved, legendary drummer and singer of the Band. He sang the anthems of a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story––told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians––is the rollicking story of American popular music itself. In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed "blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision," as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect "in the pocket" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul. Levon traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, The Last Waltz, and beyond with the man Dylan called "one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation." Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson––and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997. Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012. Levon is a penetrating, skillfully told tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight.

Read more less

The new Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide is a concise pocket guide spanning the breadth of this growing sub-specialty. Formatted exactly like the best selling "Pasha" Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery guide, the book is a comprehensive and efficient resource for physicians and residents that covers embryology, otology, rhinology, laryngology, head and neck surgery, evidence-based medicine, and common syndromes. Key Features: *Complete review of pediatric sub-specialty *Bulleted list format for quick review *Comprehensive index *Tabs for each chapter enable readers to quickly find sections they need *More than 100 pre-eminent chapter authors from more than 30 renowned institutions *Covers a range of topics and resources for both preparations for qualifying examinations, and also as a reference guide for otolaryngologists, pediatricians, trainees, students, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants Editor Sanjay R.Parikh, MD FACS Section Editors: 1)Embryology - Steven Goudy, MD 2)Otology - Steven Goudy, MD & David White, MD 3)Rhinology - Emily Boss, MD & Soham Roy, MD 4)Laryngology and Bronchoesophagology - David White, MD & Soham Roy, MD 5)Head and Neck Surgery - Paul Krakovitz, MD and Carlton Zdanski, MD 6)Evidence and Guidelines in Pediatric Otolaryngology - Emily Boss, MD 7)Common Syndromes - Carlton Zdanski, MD. From the Foreword: "Pediatric Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery: A Clinical Reference Guide is a valuable new educational resource for residents and fellows in training who desire a comprehensive and concise source of information with respect to the discipline of pediatric otolaryngology. The guide also fills a necessary niche in terms of providing an informative text designed for the rapidly expanding group of physician extenders - physician assistants, nurses, and nurse practitioners - providing pediatric otolaryngologic care...The editor, Dr. Sanjay Parikh, and his

Read more less

Museyon Guides' curators from around the world have composed this guidebook to inform you - the armchair film critic, the rampant moviegoer, the bona fide celluloid aficionado - of exactly where to go. Why just dream of the places you see in cinema? Instead, explore the terrain with the help of these carefully crafted cultural companions. Travel the world through the lens of your favourite film scenes and discover the best locations for your next picture-perfect vacation. NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA: Report a fire at the Hook & Ladder Company #8 if you want to see Ghostbusters headquarters in New York City. Stop for a cup of coffee at the cafe in San Francisco where Steve McQueen's Bullit meets an informant. Bring your own box of chocolates to Chippewa Square, Savannah, and re-enact the iconic scenes from Forrest Gump. Visit the Marine Building in Vancouver and be transported to Clark Kent's employer, The Daily Planet, in Smallville. Find out what part of Puerto Rico posed for the Lord of the Flies, why Madonna evaded Argentina when playing Eva Peron, and much, much more. SELLING POINTS: . Each guide contains hundreds of colour photographs that jump off the pages of each pocket-sized guide. . Each guide references a multitude of movies: Europe references 199 films; Asia, Oceania & Africa references 139 films; and North America & South America references 198 films. . Meticulously researched and curated by film reviewers, producers, directors, historians and location specialists from every angle. . A personalised introduction kicks off each book with the editor's very personal take on the best the region has to offer. . The Museyon Guides are the only guidebooks that offer a range of thematic tours geared for film buffs. . Mix and match these tours to create your own unforgettable trip. Months' worth of excursions in each title. Illustrated

Read more less

Annapolis, an outstanding colonial city, is the capital of Maryland, the home of the U.S. Naval Academy, and host to two of the largest boat shows in the country. It offers a veritable architectural feast to the masses of visitors, showing buildings representing every period—Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Gothic Revival, Victorian, and Modern. Visitors can marvel at stately dwellings like the Hammond-Harwood and Paca Houses with their meticulously manicured formal gardens, enjoy the simple shops, row houses, and taverns of the area. This pocket guide puts the city's outstanding buildings in historical perspective and adds colorful facts to enhance enjoyment of them. Spiced with anecdotes of many early Annapolis inhabitants and enlightened by recent research. The text includes helpful maps and the superb photographs by M. E. Warren. The Delmarva Peninsula is a transition zone between the northern and southern sections of the Atlantic Coast of North America. The north-south influences result in a high diversity of species of plants and animals, including amphibians and reptiles. Delmarva's amphibians and reptiles, are often overlooked by the vast majority of people living in the area who have never heard a northern spring peeper call or seen a salamander. Some common fallacies are the belief that snakes are slimy or that handling a toad can cause warts. This updated field guide to amphibians and reptiles of Delmarva will be useful to everyone interested in these fascinating creatures—from the curious child who brings home a salamander, to students, experienced naturalists, and professionals in need of life history, behavioral, and distributional information on Delmarva's amphibians (salamanders and frogs) and reptiles (turtles, lizards, and snakes). Seventy-three species are included in this second edition—seventy known to occur on Delmarva and three that the authors believe either occur there or once did. Outstanding color plates aid in identifying the species.

Read more less

This pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do, what to see and how to get around New York. It covers top attractions like the Empire State Building, as well as hidden gems, including the High Line. This will save you time, and enhance your exploration of this fascinating city. This guide book has been fully updated post-COVID-19.This Mini Rough Guide to NEW YORK covers: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. In this travel guide you will find: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER Experiences selected for every kind of trip to New York, from cultural explorations in Chinatown to family activities in child-friendly places, like the Upper West Side or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like Midtown Manhattan. TOP TEN ATTRACTIONS Covers the destination's top ten attractions not to miss, including Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge and the Rockefeller Center and a Perfect Day itinerary suggestion. COMPACT FORMAT Compact, concise, and packed with essential information, with a sharp design and colour-coded sections, this is the perfect on-the-move companion when you're exploring New York.HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTSIncludes an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture.WHAT TO DODetailed description of entertainment, shopping, nightlife, festivals and events, and children's activities. PRACTICAL MAPS Handy colour maps on the inside cover flaps will help you find your way around.PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATIONPractical information on Eating Out, including a handy glossary and detailed restaurant listings, as well as a comprehensive A-Z of travel tips on everything from getting around to health and tourist information.STRIKING PICTURESInspirational colour photography throughout.FREE EBOOK Free eBook download with every purchase of a printed book allows you to access all of the content from your phone or tablet, for on-the-road exploration.

Read more less

Perfect Gift Purchase for fans of Milne’s Classic Winnie-the-Pooh stories This lovely set consists of a highly appealing gift box designed with original E.H.Shepard decorations from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. The gift box’s design includes a pull-out drawer containing two original, unabridged A.A.Milne storybooks: Winnie-the-Pooh and the Wrong Bees and Pooh Goes Visiting, together with a beautiful poster featuring E.H.Shepard's map of the Hundred Acre Wood and a gorgeous height chart designed with E.H.Shepard's original decorations – everything you need for a Winnie-the-Pooh fan’s nursery! Do you own all the classic Pooh titles? Winnie-the-PoohThe House at Pooh CornerWhen We Were Very YoungNow We Are SixReturn to the Hundred Acre WoodThe Best Bear in All the WorldOnce There Was a Bear Look out for other available Winnie-the-Pooh publishing: Winnie-the-Pooh Storybooks:Winnie-the-Pooh Helps the BeesA Present from PoohHappy Birthday to you!The Great Heffalump Hunt Winnie-the-Pooh Board Books:Surprise! A Slide & Play bookGoodnight Pooh: A bedtime peep-through bookThe Big Adventure: A lift-the-flap bookHide and Seek: A lift-and-find bookPocket LibraryHello Pooh, Hello You!Tiddely pom: Rhymes and hums to enjoy togetherh is for honey: an ABC book10 busy bees: a counting bookColoursHow are You?: a book about feelings The nation’s favourite teddy bear has been delighting generations of children for over 95 years. Milne’s classic children’s stories – featuring Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin and, of course, Pooh himself – are gently humorous while teaching lessons about friendship and kindness. Pooh ranks alongside other beloved character such as Paddington Bear, and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage. Whether you’re 5 or 55, Pooh is the bear for all ages.

Read more less

For the best adventures, use the best map. Menorca Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map covers this beautiful island at 40k scale resulting in the most detailed and toughest map of Menorca that you can buy. Menorca is a large island (700 sq kms) resulting in a large, 840mm by 600mm, double sided map sheet with East on one side and the West on the reverse. A generous common overlap reduces the need to turn the map over when navigating. Our special `concertina map fold' makes the map easy to unfold and refold to its pocket size, 215mm by 120mm. Super-Durable Maps include a 2 year adventurous use wear and tear guarantee. At 40k scale, the level of detail we can include on Menorca Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map is awesome. Building on our previous editions, we have our legendary level of Tour & Trail detail including the named archaeological sites. New in 2018 for our 7th edition are the road widening works on the ME-1 main road across the island, 30 new Official Walking Routes and 20 Official Cycling Routes. These new routes, along with Walk! Menorca walking routes and the Cami de Cavalls, are specially highlighted on the map making them easier to find and to follow on the ground. We've checked that `Menorca Landscapes' routes are correctly shown on our map. Whichever source you use for your hiking or cycling adventures, Menorca Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map will be your map of choice. Quite simply, Menorca Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map is the toughest, most usable map of the island that you can buy. Digital editions of Tour & Trail Maps for phone apps and Garmin users are available on the dwgwalking website.

Read more less

A pocket-sized travel guide, packed with expert advice and ideas for the best things to see and do in Rome, and complemented with a sturdy pull-out map - perfect for a day trip or a short break.Whether you want to step back in time to Ancient Rome, see the Sistine Chapel, throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, or check out the hipster bars and restaurants in Monti - this great-value, concise travel guide will ensure you don't miss a thing. Inside Mini Map and Guide Rome:- Easy-to-use pull-out map shows Rome in detail, and includes a Metro map- Colour-coded area guide makes it easy to find information quickly and plan your day- Illustrations show the inside of some of Rome's most iconic buildings- Colour photographs of Rome's museums, ancient ruins, shops, parks, churches, and more- Essential travel tips including our expert choices of where to eat, drink and shop, plus useful transport, currency and health information and a phrase book- Chapters covering Capitol; Forum and Palatine; Piazza della Rotonda; Piazza Navona; Piazza di Spagna and Villa Borghese; Campo de' Fiori; Quirinal and Monti; Esquiline; Lateran; Caracalla; Aventine; Trastevere; Janiculum; Vatican; Via VenetoMini Map and Guide Rome is abridged from DK Eyewitness Travel Guide RomeStaying for longer and looking for a more comprehensive guide? Try our DK Eyewitness Top Ten Rome. About DK Eyewitness Travel: DK's Mini Map and Guides take the work out of planning a short trip, with expert advice and easy-to-read maps to inform and enrich any short break. DK is the world's leading illustrated reference publisher, producing beautifully designed books for adults and children in over 120 countries.

Read more less

An unbeatable, pocket-sized guide to Puerto Rico, packed with insider tips and ideas, colour maps, top 10 lists, and a laminated pull-out map - all designed to help you see the very best of Puerto Rico.Marvel at grand Castillo de San Cristóbal, hike through El Yunque tropical rainforest, enjoy white sand beaches and coral reefs on Culebra, or wander colonial Old San Juan, the historic heart of the capital. From Top 10 beaches to the Top 10 festivals and holidays - discover the best of Puerto Rico with this easy-to-use travel guide.Inside Top 10 Puerto Rico:- Easy-to-follow itineraries to help you make the most of your trip- Top 10 lists showcase Puerto Rico's best attractions, covering Condado, Vieques, Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy and many more- Free laminated pull-out map of Puerto Rico, plus six colour neighbourhood maps- In-depth neighbourhood guides explore Puerto Rico's most interesting areas, with the best places for shopping, going out and sightseeing - Colour-coded chapters divided by area make it easy to find information quickly and plan your day - Essential travel tips including our expert choices of where to stay, eat, shop and sightsee, plus useful transport, visa and health information- Colour maps help you navigate with ease- Covers San Juan, the North, South, East and West Coasts, the Cordillera and moreStaying for longer as part of a bigger trip to the Caribbean? Try our DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Caribbean.About DK Eyewitness Travel: DK's Top 10 guides take the work out of planning a short trip, with easy-to-read maps, tips and tours to inform and enrich your weekend trip or cultural break. DK is the world's leading illustrated reference publisher, producing beautifully designed books for adults and children in over 120 countries.

Read more less

Taxation is crucial to the functioning of the modern state. Tax revenues pay for public services - roads, the courts, defence, welfare assistance to the poor and elderly, and in many countries much of health care and education too. More than one third of national income in the industrialized (OECD) countries is on average taken in taxation. Taxes affect individuals in many ways. Taxes paid on income and spending directly reduce taxpayer disposable income, taxpayers face the hassle of tax returns and making payments, and they may be anxious about the possibility of investigation and enforcement action. People also adapt their activities in various ways to reduce the impact of taxation - putting money into tax-free savings accounts, or making shopping trips to other countries where taxes are lower. Taxation is therefore central to politics and public debate. Politicians that make reckless campaign promises about taxation then have to live with the uncomfortable consequences if elected. Businesses lobby for tax breaks that they claim will create jobs and prosperity. In this Very Short Introduction Stephen Smith shows how taxes have real effects on citizens and the economy that tax policy-makers have to balance. Although tax policy will always be a highly political issue, he argues that public decisions about taxation would be improved by a better understanding of the role of taxation, and of the nature and effects of different taxes. 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.

Read more less

- Is objectivity possible? - Can there be objectivity in matters of morals, or tastes? - What would a truly objective account of the world be like? - Is everything subjective, or relative? - Are moral judgments objective or culturally relative? Objectivity is both an essential and elusive philosophical concept. An account is generally considered to be objective if it attempts to capture the nature of the object studied without judgement of a conscious entity or subject. Objectivity stands in contrast to subjectivity: an objective account is impartial, one which could ideally be accepted by any subject, because it does not draw on any assumptions, prejudices, or values of particular subjects. Stephen Gaukroger shows that it is far from clear that we can resolve moral or aesthetic disputes in this way and it has often been argued that such an approach is not always appropriate for disciplines that deal with human, rather than natural, phenomena. Moreover, even in those cases where we seek to be objective, it may be difficult to judge what a truly objective account would look like, and whether it is achievable. This Very Short Introduction demonstrates that there are a number of common misunderstandings about what objectivity is, and explores the theoretical and practical problems of objectivity by assessing the basic questions raised by it. As well as considering the core philosophical issues, Gaukroger also deals with the way in which particular understandings of objectivity impinge on social research, science, and art. 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.

Read more less

Homer's mythological tales of war and homecoming,the Iliad and the Odyssey, are widely considered to be two of the most influential works in the history of western literature. Yet their author, 'the greatest poet that ever lived' is something of a mystery. By the 6th century BCE, Homer had already become a mythical figure, and today debate continues as to whether he ever existed. In this Very Short Introduction Barbara Graziosi considers Homer's famous works, and their impact on readers throughout the centuries. She shows how the Iliad and the Odyssey benefit from a tradition of reading that spans well over two millennia, stemming from ancient scholars at the library of Alexandria, in the third and second centuries BCE, who wrote some of the first commentaries on the Homeric epics. Summaries of these scholars' notes made their way into the margins of Byzantine manuscripts; from Byzantium the annotated manuscripts travelled to Italy; and the ancient notes finally appeared in the first printed editions of Homer, eventually influencing our interpretation of Homer's work today. Along the way, Homer's works have inspired artists, writers, philosophers, musicians, playwrights, and film-makers. Exploring the main literary, historical, cultural, and archaeological issues at the heart of Homer's narratives, Graziosi analyses the enduring appeal of Homer and his iconic works. 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. This book was previously published in hardback as Homer.

Read more less

Herodotus has come to be respected by most scholars as a responsible and important historian. Herodotus was both a critical thinker and a lively storyteller, a traveller who was both tourist and anthropologist. Like Homer, he set out to memorialize great deeds in words; more narrowly, he determined to discover the causes of the wars between Greece and Persia and to explain them to his fellow Greeks. In his hands, the Greeks' unforeseeable defeat of the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes, with their vast hosts, made for fascinating storytelling. Influenced by the work of the natural scientists and philosophers of his own and earlier eras, Herodotus also brought his literary talents to bear on a vast, unruly mass of information gathered from many interviews throughout his travels and left behind him the longest work that had ever been written in Greek - the first work of history, and one which continues to be read with enjoyment today. Herodotus: A Very Short Introduction introduces readers to what little is known of Herodotus's life and goes on to discuss all aspects of his work, including his fascination with his origins; his travels; his view of the world in relation to boundaries and their transgressions; and his interest in seeing the world and learning about non-Greek civilizations. We also explore the recurring themes of his work, his beliefs in dreams, oracles, and omens, the prominence of women in his work, and his account of the battles of the Persian Wars. 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.

Read more less

From deciding the best day for a picnic, to the devastating effects of hurricanes and typhoons, the weather impacts our lives on a daily basis. Although new techniques allow us to forecast the weather with increasing accuracy, most people do not realise the vast global movements and forces which result in their day-to-day weather. In this Very Short Introduction Storm Dunlop explains what weather is and how it differs from climate, discussing what causes weather, and how we measure it. Analysing the basic features and properties of the atmosphere, he shows how these are directly related to the weather experienced on the ground, and to specific weather phenomena and extreme weather events. He describes how the global patterns of temperature and pressure give rise to the overall circulation within the atmosphere, the major wind systems, and the major oceanic currents, and how features such as mountains and the sea affect local weather. He also looks at examples of extreme and dangerous weather, such as of tropical cyclones (otherwise known as hurricanes and typhoons), describing how 'Hurricane Hunters' undertake the dangerous task of flying through them. We measure weather in a number of ways: observations taken on the land and sea; observations within the atmosphere; and measurements from orbiting satellites. Dunlop concludes by looking at how these observations have been used to develop increasingly sophisticated long- and short-range weather forecasting, including ensemble forecasting. 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.

Read more less

What is 'nothing'? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - a void - exist? This Very Short Introduction explores the science and the history of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and why they can tell us extraordinary things about the cosmos. Frank Close tells the story of how scientists have explored the elusive void, and the rich discoveries that they have made there. He takes the reader on a lively and accessible history through ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research. He describes how scientists discovered that the vacuum is filled with fields; how Newton, Mach, and Einstein grappled with the nature of space and time; and how the mysterious 'aether' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void may now be making a comeback with the latest research into the 'Higgs field'. We now know that the vacuum is far from being empty - it seethes with virtual particles and antiparticles that erupt spontaneously into being, and it also may contain hidden dimensions that we were previously unaware of. These new discoveries may provide answers to some of cosmology's most fundamental questions: what lies outside the universe, and, if there was once nothing, then how did the universe begin? 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.

Read more less

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Coral reefs are among the most beautiful, and most diverse, of ecosystems. Early seafarers were wary of them, naturalists were confused by them, yet many coastal people benefited greatly from these mysterious rocky structures that grew up to the surface of the sea. They have been rich in their supply of food, and they provided a breakwater from storms and high waves to countless coastal communities that developed from their protection. Their scale is enormous and their value high. Found in countless locations around the world, from the Indo-Pacific coral reef province to the Caribbean and Australia, they support both marine and human life. But today coral reefs are in trouble, with many dying or suffering from over-exploitation, pollution, and the warming and acidification of the oceans. Understanding reefs, their conservation and management, is vital, and so is conveying this to authority if we are to preserve these remarkable ecosystems. In this Very Short Introduction Charles Sheppard describes the complex structure and interdependencies of a reef, how reefs have evolved, the diversity of marine life that they support, and their importance to the human population who live beside them. This new edition describes the latest research on the complex symbioses of coral animals with microorganisms. It also highlights the scale of the challenge facing our reefs today, following recent ocean heatwaves - part of wider climate disruption - that killed half the world's reefs, and considers what can be done to preserve these essential and vibrant ecosystems. 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.

Read more less

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Anchored in the principles of free-market economics, neoliberalism emerged in the 1990s as the world's most dominant economic paradigm. It has been associated with various political leaders from Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Bill Clinton, to Tony Blair, Barack Obama, and Manmohan Singh. Neoliberalism even penetrated deeply into communist China's powerful economic system. However, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and the related European Sovereign Debt Crisis triggered a decade of economic volatility and insecurity that boosted the fortunes of the 1 per cent while saddling the 99 per cent with stagnant wages and precarious work. As a result of this Great Recession, neoliberalism fortunes have waned considerably. This downward trend further accelerated with the recent surge of national populism around the world that brought to power outspoken critics of neoliberalism like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro, and Narendra Modi. Is neoliberalism doomed or will it regain its former glory? And what are the major types of neoliberalism, and how did they evolve over the decades? Responding to these crucial questions, this Very Short introduction explores the considerable variations of neoliberalism around the world, and discusses the origins, evolution, and core ideas of neoliberalism. This new edition brings the story of neoliberalism up to date, and asks whether new versions of neoliberalism might succeed in drowning out the rising tide of national populism and its nostalgic longing for a return to territorial sovereignty and national greatness. 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.

Read more less

To date, more than a million insect species have been described, with probably at least another 5-8 million species waiting in the wings for a name. Insects are a fascinatingly diverse and beautiful spectrum of animals. They range in size from the tiny parasitic wasp, measuring a mere 139µm, to the aptly named Titan beetle, which can reach lengths of up to 17cm. They can be found on all continents of the world, from the Sahara Desert to the frozen wastes of Antarctica; in caves, under the ground, inside plants, other insects and vertebrates, in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, in puddles, in the watery interiors of pitcher plants; and in our houses. While no insects live beneath the waves, the intrepid sea skaters skim the surface of some of the world's oceans. This Very Short Introduction explores the extraordinary world of insects. It analyses insect evolution, taxonomy and development, and describes their behaviour, their life styles, and the interactions they have with other insects and other animals. As Simon Leather shows, insects are the bedrock on which human civilisation rests; without them we would almost certainly not exist. Although they can be seen as pests of our crops plants, they are also invaluable for pollinating our flowering plants and are an invaluable link in all land ecosystems. As they face challenges from climate change and pesticides it has never been more important to understand these oft-dismissed creatures. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring 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.

Read more less

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Debates about science and religion are rarely out of the news. Whether it concerns what's being taught in schools, clashes between religious values and medical recommendations, or questions about how to address our changing global environment, emotions often run high and answers seem intractable. Yet there is much more to science and religion than the clash of extremes. As Thomas Dixon and Adam Shapiro show in this balanced and thought-provoking Very Short Introduction, a whole range of views, subtle arguments, and fascinating perspectives can be found on this complex and centuries-old subject. They explore the key philosophical questions that underlie the debate, but also highlight the social, political, and ethical contexts that have made the tensions between science and religion such a fraught and interesting topic in the modern world. In this new edition, Dixon and Shapiro connect historical concepts such as evolution, the heliocentric solar system, and the problem of evil to present-day issues including the politicization of science; debates over mind, body, and identity; and the moral necessity of addressing environmental change. Ranging from medical missionaries to congregations adopting new technologies during a pandemic, from Galileo's astronomy to building the Thirty Meter Telescope, they explore how some of the most complex social issues of our day are rooted in discussions of science and religion. 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.

Read more less

Fire is rarely out of the headlines, from large natural wildfires raging across the Australian or Californian countrysides to the burning of buildings such as the disasters of Grenfell tower and Notre Dame. Fire on these scales can represent a serious risk to human life and property. But the advent of fire made and controlled by humans also represented a crucial point in our evolution, allowing us to cook our food, forge our weapons, and warm our homes. This Very Short Introduction covers the fundamentals of fire, whether wild or under human control, starting with the basics of ignition, combustion, and fuel. Andrew Scott considers both natural wildfires and the role of humans in making and suppressing fire. Despite frightening reports of wildfire destruction, he also shows how landscape fires have been part of our planet's history for 400 million years, and do not always have to be extinguished. He also considers the problem of fires in urban settings, including new ways to prevent fires. The cost of wildfire can be steep - as well as the burning, post-fire erosion and flooding can have a great impact on both humans and the environment. It can also have a lasting effect in shaping ecosystems and plant life. Scott ends by examining the relationship between fire and the climate, and considering the future of wildfire in a warming world. 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.

Read more less

Niels Bohr, who pioneered the quantum theory of the atom, had a broad conception of his obligations as a physicist. They included not only a responsibility for the consequences of his work for the wider society, but also a compulsion to apply the philosophy he deduced from his physics to improving ordinary people's understanding of the moral universe they inhabit. In some of these concerns Bohr resembled Einstein, although Einstein could not accept what he called the "tranquilizing philosophy" with which Bohr tried to resolve such ancient conundrums as the nature (or possibility) of free will. In this Very Short Introduction John Heilbron draws on sources never before presented in English to cover the life and work of one of the most creative physicists of the 20th century. In addition to his role as a scientist, Heilbron considers Bohr as a statesman and Danish cultural icon, who built scientific institutions and pushed for the extension of international cooperation in science to all nation states. As a humanist he was concerned with the cultivation of all sides of the individual, and with the complementary contributions of all peoples to the sum of human culture. Throughout, Heilbron considers how all of these aspects of Bohr's personality influenced his work, as well as the science that made him, in the words of Sir Henry Dale, President of the Royal Society of London, probably the "first among all the men of all countries who are now active in any department of science." 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.

Read more less

From a modest beginning in the form of a little shrew-like, nocturnal, insect eating ancestor that lived 200 million years ago, mammals evolved into the huge variety of different kinds of animals we see today. Many species are still small, and follow the lifestyle of the ancestor, but others have adapted to become large grazers and browsers, like the antelopes, cattle, rhinos, and elephants, or the lions, hyaenas, and wolves that prey upon them. Yet others evolved to be specialist termite eaters able to dig into the hardest mounds, or tunnel creating burrowers, and a few took to the skies as gliders and the bats. Many live partly in the water, such as otters, beavers, and hippos, while whales and dugongs remain permanently in the seas, incapable of ever emerging onto land. In this Very Short Introduction T. S. Kemp explains how it is a tenfold increase in metabolic rate - endothermy or "warm-bloodedness" - that lies behind the high levels of activity, and the relatively huge brain associated with complex, adaptable behaviour that epitomizes mammals. He describes the remarkable fossil record, revealing how and when the mammals gained their characteristics, and the tortuous course of their subsequent evolution, during which many bizarre forms such as sabre-toothed cats, and 30-tonne, 6-m high browsers arose and disappeared. Describing the wonderful adaptations that mammals evolved to suit their varied modes of life, he also looks at those of the mainly arboreal primates that culminated ultimately in Homo sapiens. 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.

Read more less

Utilitarianism may well be the most influential secular ethical theory in the world today. It is also one of the most controversial. It clashes, or is widely thought to clash, with many conventional moral views, and with human rights when they are seen as inviolable. Would it, for example, be right to torture a suspected terrorist in order to prevent an attack that could kill and injure a large number of innocent people? In this Very Short Introduction Peter Singer and Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek provide an authoritative account of the nature of utilitarianism, from its nineteenth-century origins, to its justification and its varieties. Considering how utilitarians can respond to objections that are often regarded as devastating, they explore the utilitarian answer to the question of whether torture can ever be justified. They also discuss what it is that utilitarians should seek to maximize, paying special attention to the classical utilitarian view that only pleasure or happiness is of intrinsic value. Singer and de Lazari-Radek conclude by analysing the continuing importance of utilitarianism in the world, indicating how it is a force for new thinking on contemporary moral challenges like global poverty, the treatment of animals, climate change, reducing the risk of human extinction, end-of-life decisions for terminally-ill patients, and the shift towards assessing the success of government policies in terms of their impact on happiness. 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.

Read more less