Search results for ""Author Ralph""

Empires have fallen, and the land is broken. The great oathmarks that once stood as testaments to the allegiances and might of nations have crumbled into ruin. In this lost age, fealty and loyalty are as valuable as gold and as deadly as cold iron, and war is ever-present. Created by Joseph A. McCullough, designer of Frostgrave and Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago, Oathmark is a mass-battle fantasy wargame that puts you in command of the fantasy army you’ve always wanted, whether a company of stalwart dwarves or a mixed force with proud elves, noble men, and wild goblins standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the battle-line. Fight through an integrated campaign system and develop your realms from battle to battle, adding new territories, recruiting new troop types, and growing to eclipse your rivals… or lose what you fought so hard to gain and fall as so many would-be emperors before you.

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Understand foot, ankle and lower limb anatomy visually and clinically. McMinn's Color Atlas of Lower Limb Anatomy is the ideal study aid or trusted visual reference for the range of students and practitioners who require a detailed understanding of the anatomy of the foot, ankle and lower limb. It provides you with the perfect grasp of all the important lower limb structures that are likely to be encountered in practice or in the anatomy lab. Superb images of dissections, osteology, radiographic and surface anatomy offer an unmatched view of muscles, nerves, skeletal structures, blood vessels and more. Figures are accompanied by concise notes and commentaries, as well as orientational artworks to help you locate the structure accurately on the body. This updated fifth edition offers increased clinical relevance and features an entirely new chapter on Imaging of the Lower Limb, reflecting the very latest modalities and techniques. It also comes with the complete, enhanced eBook for the first time. All new state-of-the-art clinical imaging chapter - provides new insights and reflects anatomy as seen in modern practice Easily correlates essential anatomy with clinical practice - through over 200 high-quality photographs, combined with explanatory illustrations for more complex areas and concise, accompanying notes throughout Bonus information in Appendices - including practical guidance to administering nerve blocks accurately and effectively in the regional anaesthesia section Expert ConsultT eBook version included with purchase - this enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices. Mostly life-size dissections and osteology - corresponds to what students/practitioners will see in the dissection lab or in real life Includes radiography and surface anatomy pictures - helps maximise clinical relevance (and necessary for modern courses) Orientational and explanatory artworks - helps the reader to position on the body Short accompanying text - expands on the illustrations and serves as study tool Numbered labels - helps facilitate self-testing Appendix containing key information on Skin, Muscles, Arteries and Nerves All new and expanded 'Imaging' chapter to reflect what is seen in current teaching and practice Revised section on regional anaesthesia of the lower limb, to improve layout and reflect practice updates Print + electronic package for the first time, incorporating new and enhanced eBook version via Expert Consult

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Widely known as THE survival guide for radiology residents, fellows, and junior faculty, the "purple book" provides comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of diagnostic imaging in an easy-to-read, bulleted format. Focusing on the core information you need for learning and practice, this portable resource combines the full range of diagnostic imaging applications with the latest imaging modalities, making it the perfect clinical companion and review tool. Features more than 1,200 detailed illustrations now in full color, plus images that clearly depict the latest applications of CT, MRI, PET/CT, and other diagnostic imaging modalities. Provides new coverage of non-interpretive skills such as quality and safe dosing. Balances new information and anatomic drawings with timeless, relevant material to fully prepare you for the boards and for daily practice. Explains the nuances of key diagnostic details for all body systems, including signs and symptoms, anatomic landmarks, and common radiologic-pathologic alterations, for the full range of radiologic modalities and specialties. Uses a bulleted format and provides mnemonics, descriptive terminology, and space for note taking that make it easy to learn and remember key facts, techniques, and images. Allows you to work through diagnoses with hundreds of differentials for board certification preparation. Clarifies the impact of the latest disease entities on the interpretation of radiologic findings. Expert ConsultT eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

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In 1955, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti began issuing small paperback books of poetry from City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco. Since then the press has published over 230 titles and 1,500 authors. Throughout its history, City Lights Books has reflected a broad range of ideas and fresh thought, publishing writers from every part of the world and cutting across lines of culture, age, and gender. Authors include Jack Kerouac, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Burns, Hilda Doolittle, Diane di Prima, Allen Ginsberg, Goethe, Walt Whitman, Gregory Corso, and Karl Marx. The Cooks provide complete information on all City Lights publications from 1955 through 1990, with full decriptions of title pages, collation, contents, bindings, dates published, and print run.

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The Profession and Practice of Adult Education is a timely book and an excellent introduction to the field. Drawing from an extensive volume of literature, it provides comprehensive coverage and a clear guide. Graduate students will benefit from it and practitioners will be kept abreast of changes that are occurring. --Peter Jarvis, professor of continuing education and senior research professor, University of Surrey, United Kingdom

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In 1949, a small book had a big impact on education. In just over one hundred pages, Ralph W. Tyler presented the concept that curriculum should be dynamic, a program under constant evaluation and revision. Curriculum had always been thought of as a static, set program, and in an era preoccupied with student testing, he offered the innovative idea that teachers and administrators should spend as much time evaluating their plans as they do assessing their students. Since then, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction has been a standard reference for anyone working with curriculum development. Although not a strict how-to guide, the book shows how educators can critically approach curriculum planning, studying progress and retooling when needed. Its four sections focus on setting objectives, selecting learning experiences, organizing instruction, and evaluating progress. Readers will come away with a firm understanding of how to formulate educational objectives and how to analyze and adjust their plans so that students meet the objectives. Tyler also explains that curriculum planning is a continuous, cyclical process, an instrument of education that needs to be fine-tuned. This emphasis on thoughtful evaluation has kept Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction a relevant, trusted companion for over sixty years. And with school districts across the nation working feverishly to align their curriculum with Common Core standards, Tyler's straightforward recommendations are sound and effective tools for educators working to create a curriculum that integrates national objectives with their students' needs.

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Can you identify five political leaders whose ideas you don’t share but for whom you still have respect? Or multiple media channels and news outlets you tend to disagree with but still listen to? In an age of heightened and polarized ideologies and viewpoints, it is becoming increasingly important to engage in critical self-reflection about the dynamics of social influence in our personal and professional lives, and the responsibility we each bear as agents of social influence in local and global groups, teams, organizations, and communities. Ruben and Gigliotti challenge readers to bring a more nuanced understanding of communication and social influence to the decisions they make as aspiring leaders and followers. Throughout the book, the authors explore vexing questions, such as how some leaders in the workplace, community, or national political scene succeed in amassing large amounts of dedicated followers, and yet seemingly fail to exhibit the characteristics and competencies described by most experts in leadership? Or why certain social influence efforts seem to connect immediately and quite automatically with some audiences, while possibilities for influence with other constituencies may only develop over a longer period—or not at all? By exploring the convergence of leadership and communication, Ruben and Gigliotti evaluate the ways in which the perspectives, messages, and behaviors of a sender/leader and receiver/follower can resonate and the impact of this resonance on the responses and reactions of people around them. Designed for leadership and communication students, scholars, and practitioners, Leadership, Communication, and Social Influence: A Theory of Resonance, Activation, and Cultivation offers a timely exploration into the evolution of leadership, communication, and social influence, and sheds light on how we can all become more responsible leaders, followers, and citizens.

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Shows executives--anyone concerned with making change happen--how to move beyond the limitations of fixed strategic planning processes and programs to create a flexible, responsive organization that thrives in today's climate of uncertainty: the learning organization. Draws from an extensive study of two hundred change-oriented organizations including Honeywell and Motorola to identify a series of practical actions that can be used immediately to help develop a firm's capacity to learn.

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Fifty Years in the Karen Revolution in Burma is about commitment to an ideal, individual survival and the universality of the human experience. A memoir of two tenacious souls, it sheds light on why Burma/Myanmar's decades-long pursuit for a peaceful and democratic future has been elusive. Simply put, the aspirations of Burma's ethnic nationalities for self-determination within a genuine federal union runs counter to the idea of a unitary state orchestrated and run by the dominant majority Burmans, or Bamar. This seemingly intractable dilemma of opposing visions for Burma is personified in the story of Saw Ralph and Naw Sheera, two prominent ethnic Karen leaders who lived—and eventually left—"the Longest War," leaving the reader with insights on the cultural, social, and political challenges facing other non-Burman ethnic nationalities. Fifty Years in the Karen Revolution in Burma is also about the ordinariness and universality of the challenges increasingly faced by diaspora communities around the world today. Saw Ralph and Naw Sheera's day to day lives—how they fell in love, married, had children—while trying to survive in a precarious war zone—and how they had to adapt to their new lives as refugees and immigrants in Australia will resound with many.

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Emerson's journals of 1847-1848 deal primarily with his second visit to Europe, occasioned by a British lecture tour that began at Manchester and Liverpool in November of 1847, took him to Scotland in the following February, and concluded in London during June after he had spent a month as a sightseer in Paris. The journals of these years, along with associated notebooks and letters, recorded the materials for lectures that Emerson composed while abroad, for additional lectures on England and the English that he wrote shortly after his return to Concord, and ultimately, for English Traits, the book growing out of his travels that he was to publish in 1856.Travel abroad provided a needed change for Emerson in 1847 as it had done on previous occasions, though with his usual discounting of the values of mere change of place he was slow in deciding to make the trip. Discouragement with the prevailing political climate at the time of the Mexican War and the old uncertainty about his own proper role in the "Lilliput" of American society were much on his mind as the year began. In March he thought of withdrawing temporarily "from all domestic & accustomed relations"--preferably to enjoy "an absolute leisure with books," though he also recognized the want of some "stated task" to stimulate his flagging vitality; in July he finally agreed to accept a long-standing invitation to visit England as a lecturer. As matters turned out, a full schedule of lectures and travel, unexpectedly heavy social engagements along the way, and proliferating correspondence left Emerson little time for reading but did not prevent him from filling his journals with sharp observations on the passing scene.As Emerson moved about England his acknowledged admiration for the English rose every day, though he was careful to distinguish their less admirable qualities.The Englishman's "stuff or substance seems to be the best of the world," he told Margaret Fuller. "I forgive him all his pride. My respect is the more generous that I have no sympathy with him, only an admiration." He took a wry amusement from the new experience of being lionized by his hosts. In his journals are lively portraits of those who entertained him, such as Richard Monckton Milnes, his particular sponsor in the society of London and Paris, and sketches of literary notables including Rogers, Dc Quincey, Wilson, Tennyson, and Dickens. He renewed acquaintance with Wordsworth and recorded in detail the pronouncements of his old friend Carlyle. Settling in London in March and April of 1848, he divided his time between work at his desk, visits to nearby points of interest, and the mixed pleasures of a busy social life. In May he went to France just as an abortive uprising against the new provisional government was brewing. Four weeks in Paris served to correct his old "prejudice" against the French, who on closer acquaintance rose in his estimation just as the English had done. In June he returned to London to lecture, and in July, after visiting Stonehenge with Carlyle, he sailed home. As the journals reveal, he reached Concord refreshed and renewed by the change of scene, the new acquaintance, and the generous reception that the trip had brought him, and with an enlarged perspective that revealed to him once again the "proper glory" of his own country.

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The third edition of a classic text originally by Frost and Pearson, that describes the fundamental principles and established practices that apply to the study and the rates and mechanisms of homogeneous chemical reactions in the gas phase and in solution. Incorporates new advances made during the past 20 years in the study of individual molecular collisions by molecular-beam, laser applications to experimental kinetics, theoretical treatments of reaction rates and our understanding of the principles that govern rates of reaction in solution. Presents numerous examples of the deduction of mechanism from experiment, including intimate details such as stereochemistry and the dependence of reaction pathway on the exact energy states of reacting particles.

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Travel with mischievous cartoon guides, the Brainwaves, in this book of science through a range of mindblowing STEM topicsMeet the Brainwaves, hilarious little mischief-makers who will be your guides to a marvellous range of mindblowing science topics! These pint-sized pals will jump aboard the invention of the car, take you on a madcap holiday to Mars and outer space, and will even shrink down to atomic level to explore the most basic building blocks of science. The Most Exciting Book of Science, Inventions, and Space Ever has a bunch of scientific discoveries that kids aged 8-12 will love to learn about - from the wisest and wackiest inventions the world has ever seen to the adventures of pioneering astronauts, plus all the core information they need to know, such as the periodic table, energy, forces, and matter. Each exciting illustrated adventure is packed with amazing facts and core information to learn about - from why gravity sucks to how the Industrial Revolution was powered.This STEM book for children features: - Step by step guides that give precise detail on scientific discoveries, planets, inventions and more!- Quirky characters deliver witty facts and asides, with a special new character to look out for in each part of the bind-up.- Mini biographies and profiles of key figures, events, and features.- Key subject areas, such as science and space that are presented in an inventive and whimsical way.With a host of colourful characters offering entertaining insights on each subject, the Brainwaves will both delight children's eyes and broaden their knowledge. Even the most reluctant readers will be absorbed, by hysterical artworks teeming with tiny, wise-cracking Brainwaves that bring each topic to life and make facts fun. Through their zany antics, readers can take a fantastical foray into a range of fields, learning about science, space, and discovering more than 300 inventions.

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Most people's diets are woefully inadequate for providing proper nutrition. Even good diets fail to deliver sufficient levels of nutrients. The Vitamin Cure book series highlights the safe and clinically effective use of vitamin supplements for a variety of illnesses. Research continues to prove the immense value of vitamins for maintaining health and fighting disease. The Vitamin Cure books, written by authors who are recognised experts in their field, deliver authoritative, up-to-date and practical information on taking vitamins for particular health problems. Most paediatricians are so certain of what is "proper" care that they are super-sensitive about a parent telling them (or even suggesting) what to do. This is where this book is truly different - it is written by a paediatrician who actively supports empowering parents and who, also, strongly advocates nutritional medicine for babies and small children. THE VITAMIN CURE FOR INFANT AND TODDLER HEALTH PROBLEMS provides commonsense approaches to many of the problems parents face with young children. Topics include colic, ear infections, diarrhoea, fever, breastfeeding, solid foods, respiratory infections and flu, nappy rash, fretfulness, allergies, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), pertussis (whooping cough) and a clear-cut, holistic discussion of vaccinations. Plus, the book discusses paediatric visits, child rearing, vitamin supplements, high-dose vitamin C therapy and much, much more. Common sense, let's-use-fewer-drugs healthcare worked back when Dr. Campbell was first in practice-and it works now. This book favours a three-tiered approach for healthier children: (1) Good diet and a multivitamin, at a minimum; (2) Special dietary considerations and vitamin supplements for special needs and (3) appropriately high orthomolecular doses of nutrients when there is illness. Say Dr. Campbell: "I learned valuable things from the genius doctor I first practised with about calming children, and parents. I always attempted to determine the reason for crying and treated accordingly, without drugs." Here is the much-awaited sequel to Drs. Ralph Campbell and Andrew W. Saul's very popular previous work, The Vitamin Cure for Children's Health Problems.

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Offering more than 100 new pages of listings and more than 1,200 health and safety websites, discussion groups, terms, and newsgroups, this reference helps readers increase their awareness of safety resources on the Internet and allows them to find exactly what they need quickly and without the help of search engines.

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While the macroscopic phenomenon of superconductivity is well known and in practical use worldwide, the current theoretical paradigm for superconductivity suffers from a number of limitations. For example, there is no currently accepted theoretical explanation for the pattern of superconductor critical temperatures in the periodic table. Historical developments in condensed matter were strongly focused on the similarities of all metals and the electron gas model, with little attention paid to their real differences. Accessible by a wide audience, Superconductivity Revisited explores the work of those who investigated the differences, and laid the foundation for all current and future work.Topics Include Pattern of Elemental Superconductors in the Periodic Table High-Temperature Superconductors Electron Spin in Superconductors Heat Capacity and Magnetic Susceptibility in Superconductors Quantum Foundations of Molecular Electricity and Magnetism Metals and Insulators Electron Transport in Metals Magnetoresistance Quantum Hall Effect Type I and Type II Superconductivity Superconductivity Revisited starts from the foundations and shows that the current theory of the subject cannot explain the pattern of superconductors in the periodic table, as the theory depends on a theory of resistivity not congruent with the Sommerfeld equation. Partial wave scattering is introduced as a route to deal with these issues. The book develops a theory of superconductivity that includes the periodic table. The new, coherent, understandable theory of superconductivity is directly based on thermodynamics, scattering theory, and molecular quantum mechanics.

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The Art of War is almost certainly the most famous study of strategy ever written and has had an extraordinary influence on the history of warfare. The principles Sun-tzu expounded were utilized brilliantly by such great Asian war leaders as Mao Tse-tung, Giap, and Yamamoto. First translated two hundred years ago by a French missionary, Sun-tzu's Art of War has been credited with influencing Napoleon, the German General Staff, and even the planning for Desert Storm. Many Japanese companies make this book required reading for their key executives. And increasingly, Western businesspeople and others are turning to the Art of War for inspiration and advice on how to succeed in competitive situations of all kinds. Unlike most editions of Sun-tzu currently available (many simply retreads of older, flawed translations), this superb new translation makes use of the best available classical Chinese manuscripts, including the ancient"tomb text” version discovered by archaeologists at Linyi, China. Ralph Sawyer, an outstanding Western scholar of ancient Chinese warfare and a successful businessman in his own right, places this classic work of strategy in its proper historical context. Sawyer supplies a portrait of Sun-tzu's era and outlines several battles of the period that may have either influenced Sun-tzu or been conducted by him. While appreciative of the philosophical richness of the Art of War , this edition stresses Sun-tzu's practical origins and presents a translation that is both accurate and accessible.

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European Media provides a clear, concise account of the structures, dynamics and realities of the changing face of media in Europe. It offers a timely and illuminating appraisal of the issues surrounding the development of new media in Europe and explores debates about the role of the media in the formation of a European public sphere and a European identity. The book argues that Europe offers an ideal context for examining interactions between global, regional and national media processes and its individual chapters consider: the changing structure of the European media; the development of new media; the Europeanization of the media in the region; the challenges for the content; and audiences. Special emphasis is given to the transformation of political communication in Europe and the alleged emergence of a European public sphere and identity. European Media: Structures, Politics and Identity is an invaluable text for courses on media and international studies as well as courses dealing with European and national policy studies. It is also helpful to students, researchers and professionals in the media sector since it combines hard facts with theoretical insight.

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"At first reading, Representative Men seems the most alien of Emerson's books. First published in 1850 (having taken form over the five preceding years as a series of lectures intended as 'winter evening entertainments'), it was inspired by the romantic belief that there exists a 'general mind' that expresses itself with special intensity through certain individual lives. It was an appreciation of genius as a quality distributed to the few for the benefit of the many. When, according to Longfellow, Emerson began to speak on these themes in Boston in 1845, the Odeon theater was jammed with 'old men and young, bald heads and flowing transcendental locks, matrons and maidens, misanthropists and lovers.' The crowds were rapt and grateful, as were their counterparts two years later in England where the lecture series continued...This edition of Representative Men is reproduced from the fourth volume of The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, text established by Douglas Emory Wilson.

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In faithfully reproducing all of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s handwritten journals and notebooks, this edition is succeeding in revealing Emerson the man and the thinker. The old image of the ideal nineteenth-century gentleman, created by editorial omission of his spontaneous thoughts, is replaced by the picture of Emerson as he really was. His frank and often bitter criticisms of men and society, his “nihilizing,” his views of woman, his ideas of the Negro, of religion, of God—these and other expressions of his private thought and feeling, formerly deleted or subdued, are here restored. Restored also is the full evidence needed for studies of his habits of composition, the development of his style, and the sources of his ideas. Canceled passages are reproduced, misreadings are corrected, and hitherto unpublished manuscripts are now printed.Here is the twelfth volume, which makes available nine of Emerson’s lecture notebooks, covering a span of twenty-seven years, from 1835 to 1862, from apprenticeship to fame. These notebooks contain materials Emerson collected for the composition of his lectures, articles, and essays during those years, a complex mixture of index-like surveys of his journals, lists of possible topics and titles, salvaged journal passages and revisions, new drafts ranging from brief paragraphs to several pages in length, notes and translations from his reading, working notes, and partial outlines. In them we see Emerson at work, balancing his aspirations as orator and writer against the practicalities of deadlines, finances, and audiences.

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PRACTICAL ENGINEERING STATISTICS This lucidly written book offers engineers and advanced studentsall the essential statistical methods and techniques used inday-to-day engineering work. Without unnecessary digressions intoformal proofs or derivations, Practical Engineering Statisticsshows how to select the appropriate statistical method for aspecific task and then how to apply it correctly and confidently.Clear explanations supported by real-world examples lead the readerstep-by-step through each procedure. Topics covered include productdesign and development; estimations of the mean value andvariability of measured data; comparison of processes or products;the relationships between variables; and more. With its emphasis on practical use and its full range ofengineering applications, Practical Engineering Statistics servesas an indispensable, time-saving reference for all engineersworking in design, reliability, assurance, scheduling, andmanufacturing. PRACTICAL ENGINEERING STATISTICS While engineers are frequently involved in projects that requirethe application of statistical methods to analysis, prediction, andplanning, their background in statistics is often insufficient tothe task. In many cases the engineer has had little training instatistics beyond the concepts of the mean, the standard deviation,the median, and the quartile. Even those who have had one or morecourses in statistics will, at times, encounter problems which arebeyond their capacity to solve or understand. Practical Engineering Statistics is designed to give engineers theknowledge to select the statistical approach that is mostappropriate to the problem at hand and the skills to confidentlyapply this approach to specific cases. It provides the engineerwith the statistical tools needed to perform the job effectively,whether it is pro-duct design and development, estimation of themean value and variability of measured data, comparison ofprocesses or products, or the relationship between variables. Its authors bring two different areas of expertise to this uniquebook: statistics and engineering physics. In Practical EngineeringStatistics their collaboration has produced a book that clearlyleads engineers step-by-step through each procedure, withouttime-consuming and unnecessary discussions of proofs andderivations. Statistical procedures are discussed and explained indetail and demonstrated through real-world sample problems, withcorrect answers always provided. Readers learn how to determinewhich data represent true observations and which, through humanerror or flawed data, are false observations. Complex problems are presented with computer printouts of thedatabase, intermediate steps, and results. Numerous illustrationsand tables of all commonly used distributions enhance theusefulness of this invaluable book. Virtually all engineers and advanced students, especially those inmechanical, civil, electrical, aerospace, and chemical engineering,Practical Engineering Statistics is an indispensable reference thatwill give them the tools to do the statistical part of their workquickly and accurately.

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The Writings of Charles De Koninck, volumes 1 and 2, present the first English editions of collected works of the Catholic Thomist philosopher Charles De Koninck (1906–1965). Ralph McInerny (1929–2010) was the project editor and prepared the excellent translations. Volume 1 contains writings ranging from De Koninck’s 1934 dissertation at the University of Louvain on the philosophy of Sir Arthur Eddington, to two remarkable early essays on indeterminism and the unpublished book The Cosmos. The short essay “Are the Experimental Sciences Distinct from the Philosophy of Nature?” demonstrates for the first time De Koninck’s distinctive view on the relation between philosophy of nature and the experimental sciences. Volume 1 also includes a comprehensive introductory essay by Leslie Armour outlining the structure and themes of De Koninck's philosophy, and a biographical essay by De Koninck’s son, Thomas.

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One of the keys to learning the Turkish language is to understand the importance and function of the verb. The stem of the verb, together with various suffixes of mode, tense, person, along with a subject and/or object, may be the equivalent of an entire English sentence. "A Dictionary of Turkish Verbs" is an aid to both the beginning and more advanced student of the language by providing approximately 1,000 verbs in context as they appear in up-to-date colloquial Turkish phrases and sentences, or short dialogues in translation. Contrasting English and Turkish ways of expression, this multipurpose dictionary also helps the English speaker avoid the most common errors - with most verbs cross-referenced to related verbs, synonyms, or antonyms, and to the broader themes or categories of meaning to which they belong. Includes an English-Turkish index and a thesaurus section (using Roget's categories) where verbs of related meaning appear together and a short reference list of verb-forming suffixes. For students at any stage of learning the Turkish language, or for the self-motivated traveler, this unique dictionary will help open the door to greater understanding in an increasingly important area of the world.

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A darkly satirical tale of the generation and gender gaps in Japanese society, Ruy Murakami's Popular Hits of the Showa Era is a literary karaoke act combining manga and street culture It's a set-up like a video game: two rival gangs fight to death for the control of a Tokyo district. In one gang, six young losers committed only to drinking, voyeurism and karaoke singing, in the other six tough independent older women. From ambush to revenge, both groups are gradually decimated until the ultimate showdown. In Murakami's inimitably brutal and brilliant style, Popular Hits dissects the gender and generational conflicts of contemporary society in a hilarious satire. Murakami is mercilessly funny as he tracks his characters' evolution from twits to scholars of guerrilla warfare'New Yorker 'One of the funniest and strangest gang wars in recent literature'Booklist Ryu Murakami's Popular Hits From the Showa Era is translated from the Japanese by Ralph McCarthy and published by Pushkin Press Born in 1952 in Nagasaki prefecture, Ryu Murakami is the enfant terrible of contemporary Japanese literature. Awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1976 for his first book, a novel about a group of young people drowned in sex and drugs, he has gone on to explore with cinematic intensity the themes of violence and technology in contemporary Japanese society. His novels include Coin Locker Babies, Sixty-Nine, Popular Hits of the Showa Era, Audition, In the Miso Soup and From the Fatherland, with Love. Murakami is also a screenwriter and a director; his films include Tokyo Decadence, Audition and Because of You.

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It's just before New Year, and Frank, an overweight American tourist, has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo's nightlife. But, Frank's behaviour is so odd that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion: his client may in fact have murderous desires. Although Kenji is far from innocent himself, he unwillingly descends with Frank into an inferno of evil, from which only his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Jun, can possibly save him.

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First published in 1932, Journey to the End of the Night was immediately acclaimed as a masterpiece and a turning point in French literature. Told in the first person by Celine's fictional alter ego Bardamu, the novel is loosely based on the author's own experiences during the First World War, in French colonial Africa, in the USA and, later, as a young doctor in a working-class suburb in Paris. Celine's disgust with human folly, malice, greed and the chaotic state in which man has left society lies behind the bitterness that distinguishes his idiosyncratic, colloquial and visionary writing and gives it its force.

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From hard-working farm boy growing up in post-World War I Van Meter, Iowa, to the youngest All-Star and longest-lived Hall of Famer, sharp-witted Bob Feller distills nine decades of hard-earned wisdom—gleaned from experiences both on and off the diamond—in his new Little Blue Book of Baseball Wisdom, a sequel to his best-selling Little Black Book of Baseball Wisdom. Feller writes tellingly of the stars of his generation, but also shares the essential virtues which made him so successful—life lessons he learned from his father, who, eager to showcase his son's baseball talent, built a "field of dreams" on their Iowa farm when Feller was still a teen, lessons he learned fighting for his country in World War II, and lessons he learned subsequent to his baseball career.

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