Search results for ""Author Art, Culture"
University of Pennsylvania Press Liturgical Subjects: Christian Ritual, Biblical Narrative, and the Formation of the Self in Byzantium
Liturgical Subjects examines the history of the self in the Byzantine Empire, challenging narratives of Christian subjectivity that focus only on classical antiquity and the Western Middle Ages. As Derek Krueger demonstrates, Orthodox Christian interior life was profoundly shaped by patterns of worship introduced and disseminated by Byzantine clergy. Hymns, prayers, and sermons transmitted complex emotional responses to biblical stories, particularly during Lent. Religious services and religious art taught congregants who they were in relation to God and each other. Focusing on Christian practice in Constantinople from the sixth to eleventh centuries, Krueger charts the impact of the liturgical calendar, the eucharistic rite, hymns for vigils and festivals, and scenes from the life of Christ on the making of Christian selves. Exploring the verse of great Byzantine liturgical poets, including Romanos the Melodist, Andrew of Crete, Theodore the Stoudite, and Symeon the New Theologian, he demonstrates how their compositions offered templates for Christian self-regard and self-criticism, defining the Christian "I." Cantors, choirs, and congregations sang in the first person singular expressing guilt and repentence, while prayers and sermons defined the collective identity of the Christian community as sinners in need of salvation. By examining the way models of selfhood were formed, performed, and transmitted in the Byzantine Empire, Liturgical Subjects adds a vital dimension to the history of the self in Western culture.
£26.99
Princeton University Press Noir Urbanisms: Dystopic Images of the Modern City
Dystopic imagery has figured prominently in modern depictions of the urban landscape. The city is often portrayed as a terrifying world of darkness, crisis, and catastrophe. Noir Urbanisms traces the history of the modern city through its critical representations in art, cinema, print journalism, literature, sociology, and architecture. It focuses on visual forms of dystopic representation--because the history of the modern city is inseparable from the production and circulation of images--and examines their strengths and limits as urban criticism. Contributors explore dystopic images of the modern city in Germany, Mexico, Japan, India, South Africa, China, and the United States. Their topics include Weimar representations of urban dystopia in Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis; 1960s modernist architecture in Mexico City; Hollywood film noir of the 1940s and 1950s; the recurring fictional destruction of Tokyo in postwar Japan's sci-fi doom culture; the urban fringe in Bombay cinema; fictional explorations of urban dystopia in postapartheid Johannesburg; and Delhi's out-of-control and media-saturated urbanism in the 1980s and 1990s. What emerges in Noir Urbanisms is the unsettling and disorienting alchemy between dark representations and the modern urban experience. In addition to the editor, the contributors are David R. Ambaras, James Donald, Ruben Gallo, Anton Kaes, Ranjani Mazumdar, Jennifer Robinson, Mark Shiel, Ravi Sundaram, William M. Tsutsui, and Li Zhang.
£28.00
Columbia University Press Disenchanting the Caliphate: The Secular Discipline of Power in Abbasid Political Thought
The political thought of Muslim societies is all too often defined in religious terms, in which the writings of clerics are seen as representative and ideas about governance are treated as an extension of commentary on sacred texts. Disenchanting the Caliphate offers a groundbreaking new account of political discourse in Islamic history by examining Abbasid imperial practice, illuminating the emergence and influence of a vibrant secular tradition.Closely reading key eighth-century texts, Hayrettin Yücesoy argues that the ulema’s discourse of religious governance and the political thought of lay intellectuals diverged during this foundational period, with enduring consequences. He traces how notions of good governance and reflections on prudent statecraft arose among cosmopolitan literati who envisioned governing as an art. Competent in nonreligious branches of knowledge and trained in administrative professions, these belletrists articulated and defended secular political practices, reimagining the caliphal realm as politically constituted rather than natural. They sought to improve administrative efficiency and bolster state control for an empire made up of diverse cultures. Their ideas about moral cultivation, temporal reasoning, and governmental rationality endured for centuries as a counterpoint to religious rulership. Drawing on this history, Yücesoy critiques the concept of “Islamic political thought,” calling for decolonizing debates about “secular” and “religious” politics.Theoretically rich and historically grounded, Disenchanting the Caliphate is an insightful and provocative reconsideration of key strands of political discourse in the intellectual history of Muslim societies.
£105.30
The University of Chicago Press Necklace and Calabash – A Chinese Detective Story
Brought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re-designed new editions of Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee Mysteries are now available.Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T'ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption, who cleverly selects allies to help him navigate the royal courts, politics, and ethnic tensions in imperial China. Robert van Gulik modeled Judge Dee on a magistrate of that name who lived in the seventh century, and he drew on stories and literary conventions of Chinese mystery writing dating back to the Sung dynasty to construct his ingenious plots.Necklace and Calabash finds Judge Dee returning to his district of Poo-yang, where the peaceful town of Riverton promises a few days' fishing and relaxation. Yet a chance meeting with a Taoist recluse, a gruesome body fished out of the river, strange guests at the Kingfisher Inn, and a princess in distress thrust the judge into one of the most intricate and baffling mysteries of his career.An expert on the art and erotica as well as the literature, religion, and politics of China, van Gulik also provides charming illustrations to accompany his engaging and entertaining mysteries.
£15.18
John Beaufoy Publishing Ltd Enchanting Singapore (3rd edition)
Singapore, a small island nation, offers a huge variety of experiences for holidaymakers of all kinds. This bustling cosmopolitan city has excellent shopping malls and fascinating museums; heritage trails and wildlife walks; a colourful nightlife and a huge choice of dining options. Much planning has been involved in maximising these attractions. Leading the way are the two integrated resorts of Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands which offer the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas as well as all the excitement of theme park activities. Other massive projects are the 1.1 km boardwalk that runs along the coast and mangrove area of Chek Jawa, allowing nature lovers to get close to the rich plant and marine life, as well as `Gardens by the Bay’, three waterfront gardens that showcase horticulture and garden art. Singapore’s Botanic Gardens have developed into one of the world’s most respected with palms, cycads, bromeliads and a vast number of orchids. For sporting enthusiasts, there’s the recently introduced F1 Grand Prix, as well as all of the watersports you would expect around an island and some adventurous trekking in the national parks and wetlands. The wonderful array of cuisines from Peranakan to Chinese, Indian to Malay is proof of the collage of cultures that make up Singapore’s population. Enchanting Singapore introduces all of the must-see places and events to help you make the most of your holiday time.
£10.99
Batsford Ltd London (Italian)
One of the most exhilarating cities in the world, London is steeped in history whilst embracing innovation. Its skyline is a mix of old and new, with the beautiful architectural splendour of St Paul’s Cathedral sitting comfortably alongside the staggering modernity of new high rises. The pomp and ceremony of quintessential British culture remains very much on show, from Changing the Guard to the Lord Mayor’s Show and tea at The Ritz. With world-famous museums, art galleries, theatres, eight royal parks, shops, restaurants and a buzzing nightlife, London has something on offer for everyone. The latest Pitkin guide to London is a fresh, updated edition of our best-seller In and Around London. This guidebook celebrates the most famous icons in our English heritage, as well as introducing the newest architectural additions to the city’s skyline – from museums to The Shard. The book showcases all these top attractions in a fun and accessible manner, offering exciting facts and anecdotes as well as significant historical information. At 44 pages, London is compact enough to fit into a bag or a small piece of hand luggage, but it is still an insightful read. Whether it is an expedition through the museums - back in time to ancient London, following the footsteps of one of the most famous royal families in the world or indulging in the countless eateries, theatres and shopping hubs, this text is the perfect companion to any tourist visiting London.
£5.00
University of Georgia Press BJU and Me: Queer Voices from the World's Most Christian University
Bob Jones University is a Christian, fundamentalist, nondenominational liberal arts school in Greenville, South Carolina. BJU was founded in 1927 by Christian evangelist Bob Jones Sr., who was against the secularization of higher education and the influence of religious liberalism in denominational colleges. For most of the twentieth century, BJU branded itself as the "World’s Most Unusual University" because of its separatist culture. Many BJU students come from fundamentalist communities and are aware of BJU’s strict rules and conservative lifestyle. So why would queer students enroll at BJU? A former queer student of BJU himself, Lance Weldy has come to terms with his own involvement with the institution and has reached out to other queer students to help represent the range of queer experience in this restrictive atmosphere. BJU and Me: Queer Voices from the World’s Most Christian University provides behind-the-scenes explanations from nineteen former BJU students from the past few decades who now identify as LGBT+. They write about their experiences, reflect on their relationships with a religious institution, and describe their vulnerability under a controlling regime. Some students hid their sexuality and graduated under the radar; others transferred to other schools but faced reparative therapy elsewhere; some endured mandatory counseling sessions on campus; while still others faced incredible obstacles after being outed by or to the BJU administration. These students give voices to their queer experiences at BJU and share their unique stories, including encounters with internal and/or external trauma and their paths to self-validation and recovery. Often their journeys led them out of fundamentalism and the BJU network entirely.
£22.95
Running Press,U.S. The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion
The Way We Wed: A History of Wedding Fashion presents styles and stories from the Renaissance to the present day, chronicling evolving fashions as well as changing customs, lifestyles, and values. And because all wedding attire has a tale to tell, The Way We Wed also reveals fascinating personal stories of those who wore it. While the book is a visually and thematically rich source of bridal inspiration for all seasons, it's far from a monotonous parade of white gowns. The long white wedding dress is a relatively recent innovation popularized by Queen Victoria; it has traditionally been reserved for the upper classes, and abandoned in times of war, economic hardship, or mourning. The Way We Wed showcases wedding gowns of all colors and styles from around the world, as well as going-away dresses, accessories (shoes, veils, hats, fans, and tiaras), and clothes worn by flower girls, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride, and grooms. Same-sex weddings are represented, and the book features celebrity brides (Angelina Jolie, Frida Kahlo, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, Martha Washington, Solange Knowles, Ellen DeGeneres, Meghan Markle) as well as everyday anonymous couples. Illustrated with 100 gorgeous photos, The Way We Wed is a rich celebration of the art of wedding fashion across time and cultures, and those whose style and circumstances made a statement.
£22.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein
A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'A great, thrusting codpiece of a book. It is big, bombastic and richly brocaded... A jewel in its own right' The Times 'Evokes the painter and his world as vividly as a Holbein masterpiece. Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a must for lovers of Tudor history' Tracy Borman Full of insight... This is a gorgeous book, to which I am sure I shall return again and again' Dan Jones Hans Holbein the Younger is chiefly celebrated for his beautiful and precisely realised portraiture, which includes representations of Henry VIII, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleves, Jane Seymour and an array of the Tudor lords and ladies he encountered during the course of two sojourns in England. But beyond these familiar images, which have come to define our perception of the world of the Henrician court, Holbein was a protean and multi-faceted genius: a humanist, satirist, political propagandist, and contributor to the history of book design as well as a religious artist and court painter. The rich layers of symbolism and allusion that characterise his work have proved especially fascinating to scholars. Franny Moyle traces and analyses the life and work of an extraordinary artist against the backdrop of an era of political turbulence and cultural transformation, to which his art offers a subtle and endlessly refracting mirror.
£12.00
McGill-Queen's University Press Not Even a God Can Save Us Now: Reading Machiavelli after Heidegger: Volume 70
The interplay between violence, religion, and politics is a central problem for societies and has attracted the attention of important philosophers, including Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, and Rene Girard. Centuries earlier during the Italian Renaissance, these same problems drew the interest of Niccolo Machiavelli. In Not Even a God Can Save Us Now, Brian Harding argues that Machiavelli's work anticipates - and often illuminates - contemporary theories on the place of violence in our lives. While remaining cognizant of the historical and cultural context of Machiavelli's writings, Harding develops Machiavelli's accounts of sacrifice, truth, religion, and violence and places them in conversation with those of more contemporary thinkers. Including in-depth discussions of Machiavelli's works The Prince and Discourses on Livy, as well as his Florentine Histories, The Art of War, and other less widely discussed works, Harding interprets Machiavelli as endorsing sacrificial violence that founds or preserves a state, while censuring other forms of violence. This reading clarifies a number of obscure themes in Machiavelli's writings, and demonstrates how similar themes are at work in the thought of recent phenomenologists. The first book to approach both Machiavellian and contemporary continental thought in this way, Not Even a God Can Save Us Now is a highly original and provocative approach to both the history of philosophy and to contemporary debates about violence, religion, and politics.
£27.99
Continuum Publishing Corporation Radiohead's Kid A
This is a brilliant exploration of Radiohead's game-changing album, looking at its place in the career of "The World's Best Band" with ten years of hindsight. Radiohead's Kid A never had a chance on paper. Not only did the band have the unenviable task of following up the near-universally lauded "OK Computer", but Kid A didn't even have an official single or video. Neither did it help that the band largely abandoned rock-pop conventions for a sound that traversed glitch, free-jazz, modern composition, and krautrock. Rather than simply reinforcing Kid A's canonical status, Marvin Lin situates the album in the temporal, examining it from various philosophical and cultural interpretations of time in order to arrive at its political and social stakes. Why should we care how time is expressed through its aesthetic components like repetition, sampling, and hybridization? Where does the album subvert our sense of time with songs like "Treefingers"? In which ways does it attempt to transcend time and with what implications? Time is perhaps art's biggest enemy - all human creations will be erased eventually - but it's through these various articulations that we are able to uncover some of the most interesting insights about Kid A. For more information on the series and on individual titles in the series, check out our blog.
£9.99
Peepal Tree Press Ltd Volcano
Yvonne Weekes' memoir of eight years dominated by the awakening, eruption and still grumbling aftermath of Montserrat's Soufriere is a remarkable document at many levels. It is an acutely written account of the impact of the eruption on the life and viability of this small Caribbean island, with a quizzical eye for the undertones of the experience - the way, for instance, the awakened mountain becomes a favoured place for car-bourne lovers' trysts - as well as for the more public manifestations of the way her people responded to disaster. As Director of Culture who organised a theatrical review that was taken round the refugees in the temporary shelters, she was well-placed to observe and listen; one of the qualities of the book is the way it brings the voices of Montserratians so vividly to life. She captures a world split between the new scientific vocabulary of seismology and pyroclastic flows and the Old Testament talk of Sodom and Gomorrah and sins punished. But 'Volcano' is above all a personal and intimate account of the processes of stress, loss, grieving emptiness and the rebuilding of heart and sense of self; of confronting the 'nothingness that hollows me', when everything by which she has known herself - home, family, friends, landscape - is taken from her, when faith is tested to the core. But it is the quality of Yvonne Weekes' writing that makes 'Volcano' a work of art as well as a record. Her prose is always alive, conversational and clear, rising to memorable heights when she describes the terrible moments of blackness against which all life demands to be reviewed.
£9.18
Watkins Media Limited Eminent Domain
The Cold War ended thirty years ago, the Communists have won in Europe and the world has settled into two blocks divided by a silicon curtain, The Partition. The tranquil backwater of the People’s Republic of Britain is due to host an international sporting event, the Games, and celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the country becoming a republic. When the organiser of the Games dies suddenly and his office is broken into, Barrow, the retired security operative enlisted to investigate, is drawn into a conspiracy that has implications not only for him and his team of young and inexperienced assistants, but for their entire way of life. How is the American research student Julia Verona implicated? Is some kind of attack being planned? Who is really in command of the operation? Is there a double agent within the PRBs security apparatus? What is the significance of the reclusive novelist Vernon Crane? Fusing the trappings of a literary thriller with experimental style, Eminent Domain explores the art, culture, politics, personalities, conflicts, loves and losses of a range of boldly realised characters in a Utopian world radically different to our own but recognizably the way that things, at one time, might have been. A kaleidoscopic satire of our present moment, Eminent Domain is both a dark thriller and a radical neo-modernist experiment that probes at the limits of Utopia, a formally dazzling reimagining of the political novel in which lives, worlds and even realities collide to devastating effect.
£12.99
Faber & Faber Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume I: 1940–1956
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was one of the writers who defined the course of twentieth-century poetry. Her vivid, daring and complex poetry continues to captivate new generations of readers and writers. In the Letters, we discover the art of Plath's correspondence, most of which has never before been published and is here presented unabridged, without revision, so that she speaks directly in her own words. Refreshingly candid and offering intimate details of her personal life, Plath is playful, too, entertaining a wide range of addressees, including family, friends and professional contacts, with inimitable wit and verve. The letters document Plath's extraordinary literary development: the genesis of many poems, short and long fiction, and journalism. Her endeavour to publish in a variety of genres had mixed receptions, but she was never dissuaded. Through acceptance of her work, and rejection, Plath strove to stay true to her creative vision. Well-read and curious, she offers a fascinating commentary on contemporary culture. Leading Plath scholars Peter K. Steinberg and Karen V. Kukil, editor of The Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962, provide comprehensive footnotes and an extensive index informed by their meticulous research. Alongside a selection of photographs and Plath's own line-drawings, the editors masterfully contextualise what the pages disclose.This selection of early correspondence marks the key moments of Plath's adolescence, including childhood hobbies and high school boyfriends; her successful but turbulent undergraduate years at Smith College; the move to England and Cambridge University; and her meeting and marrying Ted Hughes, including a trove of unseen letters post-honeymoon, revealing their extraordinary creative partnership.
£20.00
University of Minnesota Press Murray Talks Music: Albert Murray on Jazz and Blues
The year 2016 will mark the centennial of the birth of Albert Murray (1916–2013), who in thirteen books was by turns a lyrical novelist, a keen and iconoclastic social critic, and a formidable interpreter of jazz and blues. Not only did his prizewinning study Stomping the Blues (1976) influence musicians far and wide, it was also a foundational text for Jazz at Lincoln Center, which he cofounded with Wynton Marsalis and others in 1987. Murray Talks Music brings together, for the first time, many of Murray’s finest interviews and essays on music—most never before published—as well as rare liner notes and prefaces.For those new to Murray, this book will be a perfect introduction, and those familiar with his work—even scholars—will be surprised, dazzled, and delighted. Highlights include Dizzy Gillespie’s richly substantive 1985 conversation; an in-depth 1994 dialogue on jazz and culture between Murray and Wynton Marsalis; and a long 1989 discussion on Duke Ellington between Murray, Stanley Crouch, and Loren Schoenberg. Also interviewed by Murray are producer and impresario John Hammond and singer and bandleader Billy Eckstine. All of thse conversations were previously lost to history. A celebrated educator and raconteur, Murray engages with a variety of scholars and journalists while making insightful connections among music, literature, and other art forms—all with ample humor and from unforeseen angles.Leading Murray scholar Paul Devlin contextualizes the essays and interviews in an extensive introduction, which doubles as a major commentary on Murray’s life and work. The volume also presents sixteen never-before-seen photographs of jazz greats taken by Murray.No jazz collection will be complete without Murray Talks Music, which includes a foreword by Gary Giddins and an afterword by Greg Thomas.
£21.99
Five Continents Editions Headrests of Southern Africa: The architecture of sleep - KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini and Limpopo
Headrests from Southern Africa - The architecture of sleep presents the subject of southern African headrests in a fascinating new light. The book, richly illustrated – often with in situ photographs, offers unique historical and personal information collected from many of the original owners and carvers of the headrests. So, for the first time African headrests are brought to life with detailed information and the stories of their creation, ownership, use and significance. The 438 headrests from the collections of Bruce Goodall from Cape Town and Frédéric Zimer from Paris are presented according to 3 geographical areas: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo (where the Ntwane people live) and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Since 2003, Goodall has made numerous field trips collecting, as well as interviewing and photographing the owners and carvers of headrests. In 2017, Goodall’s collection grew substantially with the purchase of a comprehensive collection of headrests from the Msinga area of KwaZulu-Natal. This collection had been assembled and meticulously documented by the late Anglican priest Clive Newman and his friend and assistant, Mavis Duma, between the late 1980s and the mid-2000s. The Zimer collection has been built up since the 1990s through his many travels in Africa, and his acquisitions from collectors and African art dealers around the world. This publication not only offers insight into the personal and historical dimensions of this important southern African tradition through the text written about the headrests and their owners by Bruce Goodall, but includes essays by Newman, Nel and Leibhammer and a text about collecting by Duma. Together these facilitate a penetrating understanding of these valued items as well as a respectful appreciation of the cultures and individuals who made and used them.
£61.20
DK The Horse Encyclopedia
A stunning celebration of the equine world. This definitive visual guide to horses and ponies includes a list of over 150 different breeds and types, including all those recognized by national horse societies. This stunning volume is the perfect reference guide for horse lovers of all ages!Inside the pages of this horse encyclopedia, you’ll find: • A comprehensive horse compendium. • Expert care advice on keeping, feeding, grooming and caring for horses. • Panels on famous breeds, or individual horses, owners, riders or breeders. Everything about horses!From tiny ponies to heavy draft horses and speedy thoroughbreds, horses are among the most influential animals in human history. The Horse Encyclopedia explores the evolution and anatomy of the horse and its place in history, art and culture. Gorgeous photography of horse breeds worldwide is accompanied by knowledgeable text describing the origins, history and characteristics of a definitive list of horses and ponies. This animal encyclopedia also includes expert advice on horse care, including feeding and grooming and horse health.Love animals? Try our other animal encyclopedias!The Horse Encyclopedia explores all you need to know about horses and ponies in one dazzling volume — a must-have for any equine enthusiast! Other Definitive Visual Guide series titles include the Dog Encyclopedia and Cat Encyclopedia, stunning celebrations of your favorite pets!
£35.51
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Confucianism: An Introduction
It is arguably Confucianism, not Communism, which lies at the core of China's deepest sense of self. Although reviled by Chinese intellectuals of the 1950s-1990s, who spoke of it as 'yellow silt clotting the arteries of the country', Confucianism has defied eradication, remaining a fundamental part of the nation's soul for 2500 years. And now, as China assumes greater ascendancy on the world economic stage, it is making a strong comeback as a pragmatic philosophy of personal as well as corporate transformation, popular in both home and boardroom. What is this complex system of ideology that stems from the teachings of a remarkable man called Confucius (Kongzi), who lived in the distant sixth century BCE? Though he left no writings of his own, the oral teachings recorded by the founder's disciples in the 'Analects' left a profound mark on later Chinese politics and governance. They outline a system of social cohesiveness dependent upon personal virtue and self-control. For Confucius, society's harmony relied upon the appropriate behaviour of each individual within the social hierarchy; and its emphasis on practical ethics has led many to think of Confucianism as a secular philosophy rather than a religion. In this new, comprehensive introduction, Ronnie Littlejohn argues rather that Confucianism is profoundly spiritual, and must be treated as such. He offers full coverage of the tradition's sometimes neglected metaphysics, as well as its varied manifestations in education, art, literature and culture.
£110.00
John Wiley & Sons Inc First Ladies For Dummies
It's time for the ladies—the First Ladies, that is—to get their time in the spotlight What does a First Lady do? What makes a First Lady successful? If you've always wanted to know, this is the place to come to for the answers! This reference has the inside scoop on all the First Ladies, including Michelle Obama's campaigns for healthy eating and Jackie Kennedy's emphasis on art and culture. In First Ladies For Dummies, you'll find out how these women's values, initiatives, and style have influenced all our lives, and how they've become true role models for generations. With the detailed biographies and personal profiles in First Ladies For Dummies, you'll gain a well-rounded knowledge of the United States' 47 First Ladies. From Martha to Melania, from Jackie to Dr. Jill, and everyone in between, every First Lady has left her stamp on the White House, in the Rose Garden, and in history, and this book covers it all. It includes: An historical context for a deeper understanding of the world these First Ladies lived in Accounts of their childhoods and early lives to learn who these women were before they stepped foot in the White House Each First Lady's interests and achievements Whether you're a history fanatic or just curious about these highly accomplished women, you'll find lots of fun facts about them in First Ladies For Dummies. Pick up your copy to be in the know!
£17.09
Harvard University, Asia Center Between Dreams and Reality: The Military Examination in Late Chosŏn Korea, 1600-1894
From the mid-seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century, millions of Korean men from all walks of life trained in the arts of war to prepare not for actual combat but to sit for the state military examination (mukwa). Despite this widespread interest, only for a small minority did passing the test lead to appointment as a military official. Why, then, did so many men aspire to the mukwa?Eugene Y. Park argues that the mukwa was not only the state's primary instrument for recruiting aristocrats as new members to the military bureaucracy but also a means by which the ruling elite of Seoul could partially satisfy the status aspirations of marginalized regional elites, secondary status groups, commoners, and manumitted slaves. Unlike the civil examination (munkwa), however, that assured successful examinees posts in the prestigious central bureaucracy, achievement in the mukwa did not enable them to gain political power or membership in the existing aristocracy.A wealth of empirical data and primary sources drives Park's study: a database of more than 32,000 military examination graduates; a range of new and underutilized documents such as court records, household registers, local gazetteers, private memoirs, examination rosters, and genealogies; and products of popular culture, such as p'ansori storytelling and vernacular fiction. Drawing on this extensive evidence, Park provides a comprehensive sociopolitical history of the mukwa system in late Choson Korea.
£31.46
University of Texas Press The Primacy of Vision in Virgil's Aeneid
One of the masterpieces of Latin and, indeed, world literature, Virgil's Aeneid was written during the Augustan "renaissance" of architecture, art, and literature that redefined the Roman world in the early years of the empire. This period was marked by a transition from the use of rhetoric as a means of public persuasion to the use of images to display imperial power. Taking a fresh approach to Virgil's epic poem, Riggs Alden Smith argues that the Aeneid fundamentally participates in the Augustan shift from rhetoric to imagery because it gives primacy to vision over speech as the principal means of gathering and conveying information as it recounts the heroic adventures of Aeneas, the legendary founder of Rome. Working from the theories of French phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Smith characterizes Aeneas as a voyant-visible, a person who both sees and is seen and who approaches the world through the faculty of vision. Engaging in close readings of key episodes throughout the poem, Smith shows how Aeneas repeatedly acts on what he sees rather than what he hears. Smith views Aeneas' final act of slaying Turnus, a character associated with the power of oratory, as the victory of vision over rhetoric, a triumph that reflects the ascendancy of visual symbols within Augustan society. Smith's new interpretation of the predominance of vision in the Aeneid makes it plain that Virgil's epic contributes to a new visual culture and a new mythology of Imperial Rome.
£21.99
Columbia University Press Appetite for Innovation: Creativity and Change at elBulli
The name elBulli is synonymous with creativity and innovation. Located in Catalonia, Spain, the three-star Michelin restaurant led the world to "molecular" or "techno-emotional" cooking and made creations, such as pine-nut marshmallows, rose-scented mozzarella, liquid olives, and melon caviar, into sensational reality. People traveled from all over the world-if they could secure a reservation during its six months of operation-to experience the wonder that chef Ferran Adria and his team concocted in their test kitchen, never offering the same dish twice. Yet elBulli's business model proved unsustainable. The restaurant converted to a foundation in 2011, and is working hard on its next revolution. Will elBulli continue to innovate? What must an organization do to create something new? Appetite for Innovation is an organizational analysis of elBulli and the nature of innovation. Pilar Opazo joined elBulli's inner circle as the restaurant transitioned from a for-profit business to its new organizational model. In this book, she compares this moment to the culture of change that first made elBulli famous, and then describes the novel forms of communication, idea mobilization, and embeddedness that continue to encourage the staff to focus and invent as a whole. She finds that the successful strategies employed by elBulli are similar to those required for innovation in art, music, business, and technology, proving the value of the elBulli model across organizations and industries.
£27.00
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book, Vol. 3: Merchandise, Collectibles, Toys, 2011-2022
A new addition to expert collector Geoffrey T. Carlton's Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book series of merchandise guides, volume 3 takes Star Wars enthusiasts into the vast galaxy of items that celebrate the beloved film franchise and pop culture juggernaut. Volume 3 unifies toys and nontoy products into a single book, covering 70,000 items released from 2011 to 2022. Also included are some of the more common and popular items, along with older pieces not previously featured in the first two volumes of the series. Through 14,000 color images and directory-style categorization, this guide provides identification and values for a vast array of Star Wars items from around the world, including art and cards, coins and stickers, party decorations, clothing, action figures, games and toys, home decor items, and much, much more. From ticket stubs to statues and ice cream wrappers to rockets, if it was made with a Star Wars logo on the package, you'll be able to find it here. In both quantity and quality, the volumes of the Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book surpass all others to form the largest Star Wars collectibles identification and reference series ever produced. Though massive, the volumes boast an easy-to-use, directory-style format and thousands of color photographs that make them valuable and quick resource guides.
£33.29
The University of Chicago Press Murder in Canton – A Judge Dee Mystery
Brought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re-designed new editions of Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee Mysteries are now available.Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T'ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption, who cleverly selects allies to help him navigate the royal courts, politics, and ethnic tensions in imperial China. Robert van Gulik modeled Judge Dee on a magistrate of that name who lived in the seventh century, and he drew on stories and literary conventions of Chinese mystery writing dating back to the Sung dynasty to construct his ingenious plots.Murder in Canton takes place in the year 680, as Judge Dee, recently promoted to lord chief justice, is sent incognito to Canton to investigate the disappearance of a court censor. With the help of his trusted lieutenants Chiao Tai and Tao Gan, and that of a clever blind girl who collects crickets, Dee solves a complex puzzle of political intrigue and murder through the three separate subplots "the vanished censor," "the Smaragdine dancer," and "the Golden Bell."An expert on the art and erotica as well as the literature, religion, and politics of China, van Gulik also provides charming illustrations to accompany his engaging and entertaining mysteries.
£18.33
Taylor & Francis Ltd The Bible and the Printed Image in Early Modern England: Little Gidding and the pursuit of scriptural harmony
The first book-length study of the fifteen surviving Little Gidding bible concordances, this book examines the visual culture of print in seventeenth-century England through the lens of one extraordinary family and their hand-made biblical manuscripts. The volumes were created by the women of the Ferrar-Collet family of Little Gidding, who selected works from the family's collection of Catholic religious prints, and then cut and pasted prints and print fragments, along with verses excised from the bible, and composed them in artful arrangements on the page in the manner of collage. Gaudio shows that by cutting, recombining, and pasting multi-scaled print fragments, the Ferrar-Collet family put into practice a remarkably flexible pictorial language. The Little Gidding concordances provide an occasion to explore how the manipulation of print could be a means of thinking through some of the most pressing religious and political questions of the pre-civil war period: the coherence of printed scripture, the nature of sovereignty, the relevance of the Mosaic law, and the protestant reform of images. By foregrounding the Ferrar-Collets' engagement with the print fragment, this book extends the scope of early modern print history beyond the printmaker's studio and expands our understanding of the ways an early modern Protestant community could productively engage with the religious image. Contrary to the long-held view that the English Reformation led to a decline in the importance of the religious image, this study demonstrates the ongoing vitality of religious prints in early modern England as instruments for thinking.
£140.00
Cornell University Press Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages
Evil is an intrinsically fascinating topic. In Lucifer, Jeffrey Burton Russell continues his compelling study of the personification of evil in the figure of the Devil. The previous two volumes in this remarkable tertalogy—The Devil and Satan—trace the history of the concept of the devil comparatively as it emerged in diverse cultures and followed its development in Western thought from the ancient Hebrew religion through the first five centuries of the Christian era.The present volume charts the evolution of the concept of the devil from the fifth century through the fifteenth. Drawing on an impressive array of sources from popular religion, art, literature, and drama, as well as from scholastic philosophy, mystical theology, homiletics, and hagiography, Russell provides a detailed treatment of Christian diabology in the Middle Ages. Although he focuses primarily on Western Christian thought, Russell also includes, for the sake of comparison, material on the concept of the devil in Greek Orthodoxy during the Byzantine period as well as in Muslim thought.Russell recounts how the Middle Ages saw a refinement in detail rather than a radical alteration of diabological theory. He shows that the medieval concept of the devil, fundamentally unchanged over the course of the centuries, eventually gave rise to the unyielding beliefs that resulted in the horrifying cruelties of the witch-hunting craze in the 1500s and 1600s. This major contribution to the history of the Middle Ages and to the history of religion will enlighten scholars and students alike and will appeal to anyone concerned with the problem of evil in our world.
£23.99
Thames & Hudson Ltd Metalwork from the Arab World and the Mediterranean
This volume presents vessels, fittings and other objects made in Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Yemen from the early Islamic period through to the end of the Ottoman era in the 19th century. The pieces include exquisite platters, serving-vessels, candlesticks and pen-boxes produced for royal courts, but also many beautifully decorated bronze domestic items, such as bowls, lunch-boxes, door-knockers, buckets and lamps. The metalwork traditions in this book reflect the complex history of the Arab world following the advent of Islam. The collection starts in the Late Antique period, which informed the early Islamic royal styles of the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid dynasties, and goes on to trace the emergence of Mosul as a centre for metalwork in the 12th–13th centuries; the courtly Mamluk style during the Bahri period (1250–1380s); the Circassian era (1380s–1517); the growth of the European export market from the 15th century; distinctive vernacular styles in Yemen during the 14th–16th centuries; and the many revivals and fusions of international styles over six centuries of Ottoman rule (1517–1900s). Finally, an enigmatic group of zoomorphic fittings that defies easy dating is celebrated for the craftsmanship and charm of its animal figures. This beautifully illustrated volume features many important unpublished pieces and is essential reading for specialists, but it will fascinate and inform anyone with an interest in Islamic culture and history, metalwork and the decorative arts of the Arab world.With 350 illustrations
£45.00
Oxford University Press Inc Philosophy and Human Flourishing
What is a thriving, meaningful, and flourishing human life? What practices, associations, policies, and institutions support flourishing lives? These questions are not new ones. Philosophers from Buddha and Socrates onward have stressed that love of wisdom is demonstrated by living well--not by thought or theory alone but by action and practice. In light of new developments in positive psychology, psychiatry, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and behavioral economics, these questions can be addressed with fresh insight rooted in both theory and practice. This new perspective is further supported by recent research in feminist theory, critical race studies, philosophical psychology, neuro-ethics, and more. Philosophy and Human Flourishing both draws on and charts new directions for philosophy and humanistic thought aimed at human flourishing. To reflect the fact that human lives and cultures differ, the perspectives here are refreshingly pluralistic, a commitment evident in the breadth and diversity of its highly accomplished contributors. Their expertise spans philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, evolutionary theory, cognitive science, ethics, political theory, social epistemology, education, and the arts. Each chapter is crisp, clear, and free of technical jargon. All contributors write in explicit conversation and cross-reference each other to create a volume that is cohesive and engaging. Human flourishing does not happen automatically or by default. It demands careful reflection and imagination. This book takes up and applies that reflection and imagination to the search for a flourishing life.
£24.31
Oxford University Press Inc Philosophy and Human Flourishing
What is a thriving, meaningful, and flourishing human life? What practices, associations, policies, and institutions support flourishing lives? These questions are not new ones. Philosophers from Buddha and Socrates onward have stressed that love of wisdom is demonstrated by living well--not by thought or theory alone but by action and practice. In light of new developments in positive psychology, psychiatry, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and behavioral economics, these questions can be addressed with fresh insight rooted in both theory and practice. This new perspective is further supported by recent research in feminist theory, critical race studies, philosophical psychology, neuro-ethics, and more. Philosophy and Human Flourishing both draws on and charts new directions for philosophy and humanistic thought aimed at human flourishing. To reflect the fact that human lives and cultures differ, the perspectives here are refreshingly pluralistic, a commitment evident in the breadth and diversity of its highly accomplished contributors. Their expertise spans philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, evolutionary theory, cognitive science, ethics, political theory, social epistemology, education, and the arts. Each chapter is crisp, clear, and free of technical jargon. All contributors write in explicit conversation and cross-reference each other to create a volume that is cohesive and engaging. Human flourishing does not happen automatically or by default. It demands careful reflection and imagination. This book takes up and applies that reflection and imagination to the search for a flourishing life.
£87.08
The University of Chicago Press The Mourner: A Parker Novel
You probably haven't ever noticed them. But they've noticed you. They notice everything. That's their job. Sitting quietly in a nondescript car outside a bank making note of the tellers' work habits, the positions of the security guards. Lagging a few car lengths behind the Brink's truck on its daily rounds. Surreptitiously jiggling the handle of an unmarked service door at the racetrack. They're thieves. Heisters, to be precise. They're pros, and Parker is far and away the best of them. If you're planning a job, you want him in. Tough, smart, hardworking, and relentlessly focused on his trade, he is the heister's heister, the robber's robber, the heavy's heavy. You don't want to cross him, and you don't want to get in his way, because he'll stop at nothing to get what he's after. Parker, the ruthless antihero of Richard Stark's mystery novels, is one of the most unforgettable characters in hardboiled noir. Lauded by critics for his taut realism, unapologetic amorality, and razor-sharp prose style - and adored by fans who turn each intoxicating page with increasing urgency - Stark is a master of crime writing, his books as influential as any in the genre. The University of Chicago Press has embarked on a project to return the early volumes of this series to print for a new generation of readers to discover - and become addicted to. This season's offerings include volumes 4-6 in the series: "The Mourner", "The Score", and "The Jugger". "The Mourner" is a story of convergence - of cultures and of guys with guns. Hot on the trail of a statue stolen from a fifteenth-century French tomb, Parker enters a world of eccentric art collectors, greedy foreign officials, and shady KGB agents.
£11.86
Stanford University Press The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers: Volume One: 1920-1928
Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) is not only the greatest poet that California (and indeed the American West) has produced but a major poet of the twentieth century who occupies a prominent place in the tradition of American prophetic poetry. Jeffers consciously set himself apart from the poetry of his generation—by physical isolation at his home in Carmel, by his unusual poetic form, and by his stance as an "anti-modernist." Yet his work represents a profound, and profoundly original, artistic response to problems that shaped modernist poetry and that still perplex poets today; how to reconcile scientific and artistic discourses and modes of vision; how to connect present-day experience to myths perceived as lying at the origins of human culture; how to renew the poetic language and how (or whether) to present art's claim to moral, spiritual, or epistemological seriousness within representations of modern phenomena. For Jeffers, as for no other important modern American poet, there has never been a collected poems, not even a truly representative selected poems—the current Selected Poetry, first published in 1938, contains no work from the last three volumes published during Jeffers' lifetime or from his posthumous volume. Now, for the first time, all of Jeffers' completed poems, both published and unpublished, are presented in a single, comprehensive, and textually authoritative edition. The first three volumes of this four-volume work, will present chronologically all of Jeffers' published work from 1920 to 1963. The present volume consists of poems published between 1920 and 1928, and includes some of his greatest and best-known poems—Tamar,Roan Stallion,The Women at Point Sur, and Cawdor—as well as a recently discovered long poem, "Home." There is also an Editorial Note and a General Introduction.
£89.33
Princeton University Press Germany from Napoleon to Bismarck: 1800-1866
Thomas Nipperdey offers readers insights into the history and the culture of German nationalism, bringing to light much-needed information on the immediate prenational period of transition. A subject of passionate debates, the beginnings of German nationalism here receive a thorough-going exploration, from the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire to Bismarck's division of the German-speaking world into three parts: an enlarged Prussian state north of the Main, an isolated Austria-Hungary in the south, and a group of Catholic states in between. This altering of power structures, Nipperdey maintains, was the crucial action on which the future of the German state hinged. He traces the failure of German liberalism amidst the rise of nationalism, turning it from a story of inevitable catastrophe toward a series of episodes filled with contingency and choice. The book opens with the seismic effect of Napoleon on the German ancien-regime. Napoleon's modernizing hegemony is shown to have led to the gradual emergence of a civil society based on the liberal bourgeoisie. Nipperdey examines the fate of this society from the revolutions of 1848-49 through the rise of Bismarck. Into this story he weaves insights concerning family life, working conditions, agriculture, industrialization, and demography as well as religion, learning, and the arts. Originally published in 1996. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
£94.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Louis XIV, the Real Sun King
Innovator. Tyrant. Consummate showman. Passionate lover of women. After the death of King Louis XIII in 1643, the French crown went to his first-born son and heir, four-year old Louis XIV. In the extraordinary seventy-two years that followed, Louis le Grand - France's self-styled 'Sun King' - ruled France and its people, leaving his unique and permanent mark on history and shaping fashion, art, culture and architecture like none other before. This frank and concise book gives the reader a personal glimpse into the Sun King's life and times as we follow his rise in power and influence: from a miraculous royal birth no one ever expected to the rise of king as absolute monarch, through the evolution of the glittering Ch�teau de Versailles, scandals and poison, four wars and many more mistresses... right up to his final days. Absolute monarch. Appointed by God. This is Louis XIV, the man. We will uncover his glorious and not-so-glorious obsessions. His debilitating health issues. His drive and passions. And we will dispel some myths, plus reveal the people in his intimate circle working behind the scenes on the Louis propaganda machine to ensure his legacy stayed in the history books forever. This easy-to-read narrative is accompanied by a plethora of little-known artworks, so if you're a Louis XIV fan or student, or just eager to know more about France's most famous king, we invite you to delve into court life of 17th century French aristocracy, the period known as Le Grand Si�cle- �The Grand Century�.
£12.99
APA Publications The Rough Guide to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
This practical travel guide to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast features detailed factual travel tips and points-of-interest structured lists of all iconic must-see sights as well as some off-the-beaten-track treasures. Our itinerary suggestions and expert author picks of things to see and do will make it a perfect companion both, ahead of your trip and on the ground. This Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast guide book is packed full of details on how to get there and around, pre-departure information and top time-saving tips, including a visual list of things not to miss. Our colour-coded maps make Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast easier to navigate while you're there. This guide book to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast has been fully updated post-COVID-19 and it comes with a free eBook.The Rough Guide to NAPLES, POMPEII & THE AMALFI COAST covers: Naples; the Campi Flegrei; Pompeii and South of Naples; Sorrento and its peninsula; The Islands; North of Naples; the Amalfi Coast.Inside this Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast travel guide you'll find:RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast, from off-the-beaten-track adventures in Procida to family activities in child-friendly places, like Quartieri Spagnoli or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like Centro Storico.PRACTICAL TRAVEL TIPS Essential pre-departure information including Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast entry requirements, getting around, health information, travelling with children, sports and outdoor activities, food and drink, festivals, culture and etiquette, shopping, tips for travellers with disabilities and more.TIME-SAVING ITINERARIESIncludes carefully planned routes covering the best of Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast, which give a taste of the richness and diversity of the destination, and have been created for different time frames or types of trip.DETAILED REGIONAL COVERAGEClear structure within each sightseeing chapter of this Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast travel guide includes regional highlights, brief history, detailed sights and places ordered geographically, recommended restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and major shops or entertainment options.INSIGHTS INTO GETTING AROUND LIKE A LOCALTips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money and find the best local spots for exploring Europe's greatest archeological sites and underground catacombs or visiting home-style restaurants and art museums.HIGHLIGHTS OF THINGS NOT TO MISSRough Guides' rundown of Naples, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Pompeii's best sights and top experiences helps to make the most of each trip to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast, even in a short time.HONEST AND INDEPENDENT REVIEWSWritten by Rough Guides' expert authors with a trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, this Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast guide book will help you find the best places, matching different needs.BACKGROUND INFORMATIONComprehensive 'Contexts' chapter of this travel guide to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast features fascinating insights into Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary.FABULOUS FULL COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHYFeatures inspirational colour photography, including the stunning Mount Vesuvius and the spectacular Sentiero Degli Dei.COLOUR-CODED MAPPINGPractical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys for quick orientation in Ravello, Sorrento and many more locations in Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast, reduce the need to go online.USER-FRIENDLY LAYOUT With helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time.FREE EBOOK Free eBook download with every purchase of this guide book to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast allows you to access all of the content from your phone or tablet, for on-the-road exploration.
£13.49
Lonely Planet Global Limited Lonely Planet The Unique States of America
From the tiny gold-rush town of Chicken, Alaska to Las Vegas' dazzling Neon Museum and Maryland's famous blue crab, Lonely Planet's Unique States of America takes you on a journey across the 50 states to discover the country's most iconic - and unique - destinations and experiences. Travel off the beaten path and into the heart of each state with our expert itineraries exploring some of the USA's finest art and culture, food and drink, history, sports, and family-friendly places. Get fascinating insights into unmissable sights, attractions, parks and more with Lonely Planet's expert commentary and stunning photography. From roadside attractions to world-class museums, you'll discover pockets of nature on the crowded Northeast corridor, mural installations in Fort Worth, Arkansas, beckoning waters in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, and lots more. Follow the Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains Chase the ghost of Ernest Hemingway through the tropical island city of Key West, Florida Witness the picturesque charms of New Hampshire's seemingly endless covered bridges Make an architecture pilgrimage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower in Oklahoma or Martin House in Buffalo Explore Marfa, Texas and Tippet Rise Art Center, Montana on a cross-country artistic odyssey Track the course of Lewis and Clark, or travel back to the days of the Thirteen Colonies Relish the Americana-overdose of Gatlinburg and Dollywood in Tennessee Catch a wave in Hawaii, don a Derby hat in Kentucky, or hit the slopes in the Rockies After a day's exploring, we tell you all about each state's most iconic eats, from Kansas City barbecue to Chicago deep dish pizza and some good old gooey butter cake in St Louis. Not to mention the new outgrowth of vineyards, distilleries, breweries and coffee roasters to quench the thirst of every traveller. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, 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 grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.
£23.85
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Bollywood blonde
Bubbly fine arts graduate Gené is desperate to get into the film industry. She moves to Cape Town and works as a photographer for a tabloid magazine. Gené starts moonlighting on film sets and finds herself on an Indian paint commercial where a big Bollywood producer offers her a six-month stint in his company in Mumbai. Unable to resist the lure and glamour of working in film and traveling the world business class, she leaps at the opportunity and soon finds herself on a plane headed for India. But there is no free curry in Mumbai. On arrival she realizes she is expected to sleep with the producer, and slips into an uneasy, culturally challenging role as his new firangi girlfriend. The producer soon insists on transforming Gené into a size-6 blonde who he can show off on the red carpet. He puts her on a grueling diet and stringent exercise regime. Once a teenage anorexic, this pushes all her deepest buttons of insecurity around her fraught body issues. Even though he is twice her age, overweight, and often rude, she becomes obsessed with him, and is soon convinced that he is cheating on her. She goes on an all-out mission to make him love her. When it becomes clear the producer no longer wants her, she manipulates her way into turning her six-month work stint into a six-year epic stay. In her first year there, she works on 96 commercials and gets drawn into the rich cultural textures of India, experiencing India in a way rarely written about. With access to the who's who in Bollywood, she rubs shoulders with India's most famous glitterati, including the great Bly Avibath, India's most famous actor. Gené also becomes close to Bollywood's top director, Kiran, and they dream about making the film of her life, together. After a traumatic night with the producer in a London hotel, she realizes it's time to leave India and come home. Although she continues to return to Bollywood over the next few years to do films with her hero Bly Avibath, who insists that she work with him, the producer now has little hold over her. On the last film that Gené does with Bly she tells him about her dream to tell her story. He surprises her by buying her a MacBook Pro, which she ends up using to write this book.
£14.95
Fordham University Press Giving the Devil His Due: Satan and Cinema
Finalist, 2021 Bram Stoker Awards (Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction) The first collection of essays to address Satan’s ubiquitous and popular appearances in film Lucifer and cinema have been intertwined since the origins of the medium. As humankind’s greatest antagonist and the incarnation of pure evil, the cinematic devil embodies our own culturally specific anxieties and desires, reflecting moviegoers’ collective conceptions of good and evil, right and wrong, sin and salvation. Giving the Devil His Due is the first book of its kind to examine the history and significance of Satan onscreen. This collection explores how the devil is not just one monster among many, nor is he the “prince of darkness” merely because he has repeatedly flickered across cinema screens in darkened rooms since the origins of the medium. Satan is instead a force active in our lives. Films featuring the devil, therefore, are not just flights of fancy but narratives, sometimes reinforcing, sometimes calling into question, a familiar belief system. From the inception of motion pictures in the 1890s and continuing into the twenty-first century, these essays examine what cinematic representations tell us about the art of filmmaking, the desires of the film-going public, what the cultural moments of the films reflect, and the reciprocal influence they exert. Loosely organized chronologically by film, though some chapters address more than one film, this collection studies such classic movies as Faust, Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, Angel Heart, The Witch, and The Last Temptation of Christ, as well as the appearance of the Devil in Disney animation. Guiding the contributions to this volume is the overarching idea that cinematic representations of Satan reflect not only the hypnotic powers of cinema to explore and depict the fantastic but also shifting social anxieties and desires that concern human morality and our place in the universe. Contributors: Simon Bacon, Katherine A. Fowkes, Regina Hansen, David Hauka, Russ Hunter, Barry C. Knowlton, Eloise R. Knowlton, Murray Leeder, Catherine O’Brien, R. Barton Palmer, Carl H. Sederholm, David Sterritt, J. P. Telotte, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock
£23.39
John Wiley & Sons Inc Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Systems: Closing the Ethical Loophole of Social Sustainability
This groundbreaking work is the most in-depth and state-of-the-art study on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of energy systems, the only volume available on this critical subject. Energy and sustainability are two of the most important and often most misunderstood subjects in our world today. As these two subjects have grown in importance over the last few decades, interest in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model has grown as well, as a potentially crucial tool in understanding and striving towards sustainability in energy systems. Not just wind and solar systems, but all energy systems, need to be understood through this model. Wind and solar power have the potential to decentralize the U.S. energy system by offering local communities electricity and economic support, depending on the scale and design of projects. Nevertheless, every energy technology potentially faces environmental costs, lay and expert opposition, and risks to public health. Engineers play a central role as designers, builders, and operators in energy systems. As they extend their expertise into electrical, mechanical and chemical fields, from fossil fuel-based systems to renewable energy systems, "sustainability" is steadily becoming one of the key criteria engineers apply in their work. This groundbreaking new study argues that engineering cultures foster sustainability by adopting assumptions and problem-solving practices as part of their identities when designing and building engineering projects. This work examines the politics of creating, utilizing, and modifying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the construction of renewable energy systems. The only volume of its kind ever written, it is a must-have for any engineer, scientist, manager, or other professional working in or interested in Life Cycle Assessment and its relation to energy systems and impact on environmental and economic sustainability.
£182.95
Cornell University Press Illinois: A History of the Land and Its People
Biles' first-rate primer on the state's history will be a useful resource for anyone curious about a state whose residents have played crucial roles in almost every major episode in the nation's history.―Chicago Tribune Featuring 67 illustrations, Illinois will captivate readers of all ages and interests. Crossroads of the continent, Land of Lincoln, hub of commerce—or, as Charles Dickens viewed it, a landscape "oppressive in its barren monotony"—Illinois boasts a rich and varied past. In this far-reaching but compact history, Roger Biles provides a much-needed, up-to-date account of the state's development, from the early native settlements to the present. Focusing on Illinois' demographic changes over time, he highlights the key figures who contributed to the state's government, economy, culture, and the arts. While devoting attention to the touchstones of history, Illinois illuminates also the achievements of ordinary people, including the women, the African Americans, and the other minorities who—along with the politicians, the captains of industry, and the military heroes—contributed to the state's growth and prosperity. National events shaped the state as well, and Biles explores the impact of such crises as the Civil War and World War II on the people of Illinois. No history of Illinois can ignore the state's largest city, the dynamic metropolis on Lake Michigan—Chicago. Drawing on extensive research, Biles illuminates Chicago's past—its outbursts of labor unrest and racial tensions as well as the splendors of two world's fairs and an artistic renaissance—while at the same time relating Chicago to the larger story of Illinois and its people. Connecting lesser-known stories with the main events of the state's past, Biles writes in an accessible style that is at once entertaining and enlightening.
£100.80
Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd Shakespeare, Hogarth and Garrick: Plays, Painting and Performance
In London in 1770 Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–1799) remarked, ‘What a work could be written on Shakespeare, Hogarth and Garrick! There is something similar in the genius of all three.’ Two-and-a-half centuries on, Robin Simon’s highly original and illuminating book takes up the challenge.William Hogarth (1697–1764) and David Garrick (1717–1779) closely associated themselves with Shakespeare, embodying a relationship between plays, painting and performance that had been understood since Antiquity and which shaped the rules for history painting drawn up by the Académie royale in Paris in the seventeenth century.History painting was considered the highest form of art: a picture illustrating a moment drawn from just a few lines in a revered text. Hogarth’s David Garrick as Richard III (1745) transformed those ideas because, although it looked like a history painting, it was also a portrait of an actor in performance. With it, Hogarth established the genre of theatrical portraiture, a new and distinctively British kind ofhistory painting.This book offers a fresh examination of theatrical portraits through close analysis of the pictures and of the texts used in performance. It also examines the central role of the theatre in British culture, while highlighting the significance of Shakespeare, Hogarth and Garrick in the European Enlightenment and the rise of Romanticism. In this context another trio of genius features prominently: Lichtenberg, GottholdEphraim Lessing and Denis Diderot.Familiar paintings and performances are seen in an entirely new light, while unfamiliar pictures are also introduced, including major paintings and drawings that have never been published.The final chapter shows that the inter-relationship between plays, painting and performance survived into the age of cinema, revealing the pictorial sources of Laurence Olivier’s legendary film Richard III.
£49.50
Oro Editions Look Up!: New York City
For readers of all ages, an imaginative, creative and fun trip around New York. An architecture book, an activity book, a history book and an art book all rolled into one. For architects, budding architects or anyone who is interested in architecture. Contains informative and interesting historical facts about New York neighbourhoods and buildings. Look Up! New York is the first volume of an exciting new series of architecture and design books that will inspire architects of all ages. This book is designed to be an on-the-go, fun and informative architecture book that can be used to learn, explore, create and colour. It is filled with great drawing and doodling activities for kids and teens as well as beautiful images, architecture detailing and fun historical facts that will inspire everyone. Look Up! New York provides a guide for exciting neighbourhood walking tours; fun maps are included to enhance observation and learning. The carefully chosen neighbourhoods and buildings identify the different types of architecture that evidence culture, life and character for that area of the city. This book will help kids identify architectural drawings, understand building design, develop drawing skills, and recognise architectural details. It will help readers consider architecture in its environment, its impact on our world and its place in history, and will also inspire all readers to sketch building ideas and details in a fun and creative process. New York City is home to some of the most beautiful and recognisable buildings in the world. Look Up! New York will include specialised tours of each neighbourhood, with 6-8 buildings encompassing a perfect walking tour. These neighbourhoods include the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Bryant Park, and Madison Square Park/Flatiron.
£17.95
Little, Brown Book Group Daughters of The Labyrinth
'An immersive novel, steeped in the history and folklore of Crete: transporting, historically informative story-telling' Sunday Times'A moving, superbly written exploration of a family with dark secrets. Crete itself becomes one of the main characters in the story' Irish Times, Best Books 2021----------This was my home. This harbour and sea. These golden alleys. But the town I grew up in has disappeared.Ri is a successful international artist who has worked in London all her life. When her English husband dies she turns to her Greek roots on Crete, island of mass tourism and ancient myth, only to discover they are not what she thought. As Brexit looms in the UK, and Greece grapples with austerity and the refugee crisis, she finds under the surface of her home not only proud memories of resisting foreign occupation but a secret, darker history. As an artist, she has lived by seeing and observing. Now she discovers how much she has not seen, and finds within herself the ghost of someone she never even heard of. Unearthing her parents' stories transforms Ri's relationships to her family and country, her identity and her art.Lyrical, unsettling and evocative, Daughters of the Labyrinth explores the power of buried memory and the grip of the past on the present, and questions how well we can ever know our own family.----------'Daughters of the Labyrinth is a novel about a daughter's passionate quest for the truth about what happened to her parents in Crete during the German occupation. It is also a sumptuous and sensuous evocation of Crete itself, its landscape and culture. Ruth Padel's brings a poet's eye to this world of great physical beauty and gnarled legacy' Colm Tóibín
£17.09
University of Texas Press Surf Texas
The urge to ride a wave, the search for the next perfect swell, is an enduring preoccupation that draws people to coastlines around the world. In recent decades, surfing has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry with over three million surfers in the United States alone and an international competitive circuit that draws top surfers to legendary beaches in Hawaii, California, and Australia. But away from the crowds and the hype, dedicated surfers catch waves in places like the Texas Gulf Coast for the pure pleasure of being in harmony with life, their sport, and the ocean. Kenny Braun knows that primal pleasure, as both a longtime Texas surfer and a fine art photographer who has devoted years to capturing the surf culture on Texas beaches. In Surf Texas, he presents an eloquent photo essay that portrays the enduring fascination of surfing, as well as the singular and sometimes unexpected beauty of the coast.Texas is one of the top six surfing states in America, and Braun uses evocative black-and-white photography to reveal the essence of the surfers’ world from Galveston to South Padre. His images catch the drama of shooting the waves, those moments of skill and daring as riders rip across the breaking face, as well as the downtime of bobbing on swells like seabirds and hanging out on the beach with friends. Braun also photographs the place—beaches and dunes, skies and storms, surf shops, motels, and parking lots—with a native’s knowing eye for defining details. Elegant and timeless, this vision of the Texas Coast is redolent of sea breezes and salt air and the memories and dreams they evoke. Surfer or not, everyone who feels the primeval attraction of wind and waves will enjoy Surf Texas.
£44.10
Oxford University Press Inc In and Out of Sight: Modernist Writing and the Photographic Unseen
In a post-digital media landscape tracked endlessly by streams and feeds of images, it is clearer than ever that photography is an art poised between arresting singularity and ambiguous plurality. Drawing on work in visual culture studies that emphasizes the interplay between still and moving images, In and Out of Sight provides a provocative new account of the relationship between photography and modernist literature--a literature which has long been considered to trace, in its formal experimentation, the influence of modern visual technologies. Making pioneering claims about the importance of photography to the writing of Gertrude Stein, Jean Toomer, John Dos Passos, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Alix Beeston traverses the history of photography in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. From the composite experiments of Francis Galton to the epic portrait project of August Sander; from the surrealist self-fashioning of Claude Cahun to the reappropriation of lynching photographs by black activist groups; from the collectable postcards of Broadway stars to the glamour shots of Hollywood celebrities-these and other serialized photographic projects provide essential contexts for understanding the fragmentary, composite forms of literary modernism. In a series of richly detailed literary analyses, Beeston argues that the gaps and intervals of the composite literary text model the visual syntax of photography--as well as its silences, absences, and equivocations. In them, the social and political order of modernity is negotiated and reshaped. Moving in and out of these textual openings, In and Out of Sight pursues the fleeting, visible and invisible figure of the woman-in-series, who recasts absence and silence as forms of presence and witness. This shadowy figure emerges as central to the conceptual space of modernist literature--a terrain not only gendered but radically constructed around the instability of female bodies and their desires.
£30.62
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Beethoven's Cello: Five Revolutionary Sonatas and Their World
Beethoven's Cello is the ideal companion for cellists, pianists, musicologists and chamber-music devotees desiring a comprehensive understanding of this beloved repertoire. Winner of the 2018 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award In 1796 the young Beethoven presented his first two cello sonatas, Op. 5, at the court of Frederick William II, an avid cellist and the reigning Prussian monarch. Released in print the next year, these revolutionary sonatas forever altered the cello repertoire by fundamentally redefining the relationship between the cello and the piano and promoting their parity. Beethoven continued to develop the potential of the duo partnership in his three other cello sonatas - the lyrical and heroic Op. 69 and the two experimental sonatas Op. 102, No. 1 and No. 2, transcendent compositions conceived on the threshold of the composer's late style. In Beethoven's Cello, Marc D. Moskovitz and R. Larry Todd examine these seminal cornerstones of the cello repertoire and place them within their historical and cultural contexts. Also addressed arethe three variation sets and, in a series of interludes, the cellos owned by Beethoven, the changing nature of his pianos, the cello-centric 'Triple' Concerto and the arrangements for cello and piano of other works. Featuring a preface by renowned cellist Steven Isserlis and concluding with the reviews of the composer's cello music published during his lifetime, Beethoven's Cello is the ideal companion for cellists, pianists, musicologists and chamber-music devotees desiring a comprehensive understanding of this beloved repertoire. MARC D. MOSKOVITZ is principal cellist of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded the music of virtuoso cellists David Popperand Alfredo Piatti for the VAI label, and his American premiere of Zemlinsky's Cello Sonata was heralded by the Washington Post as 'an impassioned performance'. Moskovitz has contributed to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians; and his biography, Alexander Zemlinsky: A Lyric Symphony, was published by Boydell & Brewer in 2010. Recognized as 'Mendelssohn's most authoritative biographer' (The New Yorker), R. LARRY TODD is Arts and Sciences Professor at Duke University. He is the author of Mendelssohn: A Life in Music, named Best Biography in 2003 by the Association of American Publishers, and Fanny Hensel: The Other Mendelssohn, awarded the ASCAP Nicholas Slonimsky Award for outstanding biography in music. As a pianist, he has recorded with Nancy Green the complete cello works of Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel for JRI Recordings.
£29.95
John Wiley & Sons Inc The Book of Real-World Negotiations: Successful Strategies From Business, Government, and Daily Life
Real world negotiation examples and strategies from one of the most highly respected authorities in the field This unique book can help you change your approach to negotiation by learning key strategies and techniques from actual cases. Through hard to find real world examples you will learn exactly how to effectively and productively negotiate. The Book of Real World Negotiations: Successful Strategies from Business, Government and Daily Life shines a light on real world negotiation examples and cases, rather than discussing hypothetical scenarios. It reveals what is possible through preparation, persistence, creativity, and taking a strategic approach to your negotiations. Many of us enter negotiations with skepticism and without understanding how to truly negotiate well. Because we lack knowledge and confidence, we may abandon the negotiating process prematurely or agree to deals that leave value on the table. The Book of Real World Negotiations will change that once and for all by immersing you in these real world scenarios. As a result, you’ll be better able to grasp the true power of negotiation to deal with some of the most difficult problems you face or to put together the best deals possible. This book also shares critical insights and lessons for instructors and students of negotiation, especially since negotiation is now being taught in virtually all law schools, many business schools, and in the field of conflict resolution. Whether you’re a student, instructor, or anyone who wants to negotiate successfully, you’ll be able to carefully examine real world negotiation situations that will show you how to achieve your objectives in the most challenging of circumstances. The cases are organized by realms—domestic business cases, international business cases, governmental cases and cases that occur in daily life. From these cases you will learn more about: Exactly how to achieve Win-Win outcomes The critical role of underlying interests The kind of thinking that goes into generating creative options How to consider your and the other negotiator’s Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) Negotiating successfully in the face of power Achieving success when negotiating cross-culturally Once you come to understand through these cases that negotiation is the art of the possible, you’ll stop saying "a solution is impossible." With the knowledge and self-assurance you gain from this book, you’ll roll up your sleeves and keep negotiating until you reach a mutually satisfactory outcome!
£18.89
Black Dog Press Edinburgh: An Architectural Portrait: Photography by James Reid
Edinburgh: An Architectural Portrait features an inspiring portfolio of imagery created over a ten-year period by the photographer and visual artist James Reid. Documenting the City of Edinburgh using digital, analogue and polaroid formats, the book captures the city’s main conservation areas, with an emphasis on key architects, listed buildings and distinct aspects of the cityscape.Presented as a beautiful collection of black-and-white images, along with a handful of colour works, the book’s digital images are a mixture of full-frame capture and large-scale composite pieces, along with a selection of 35mm analogue single-frame photography. These include panoramic views as well as more intimate perspectives, made possible by Reid’s unique access to the city’s various buildings and structures of note.The book also features essays by five established Edinburgh-based artists – Aly Gordon (painter), Bruce Hare (artist and architect), Marianne Magnin (artist and curator), Merlin Ramos (painter) and Henry Stevens (artist and architect) – each of whom offers a personally informed response to the city and how its architecture, art and history inform, influence and impact on them.The resulting publication is a unique visual mapping of the city’s most architecturally significant areas that will appeal to not only architects, artists and academics, but also residence of and visitors to one of the world’s most architecturally rich capitals of culture.
£31.46
Avalon Travel Publishing Moon Camino de Santiago (Second Edition): Sacred Sites, Historic Villages, Local Food & Wine
Over 1,200 years old, 500 miles long, and rich with tradition, history, and inspiration: Embark on the trip of a lifetime with Moon Camino de Santiago. Inside you'll find:* Strategic trekking advice for walking the Camino, including where to start to get the Compostela certificate and excursions to gateway cities like Santiago, Léon, and Pamplona* Unique ideas for enriching your experience: Admire folkloric art and Romanesque churches, stroll through the stone archways and winding alleys of medieval cities, and soak up mountain views as you cross over the Pyrenees and descend into green valleys. See the archaeological site where Europe's oldest humans were uncovered and breathe in the salty ocean air as you finish your journey at the shores of the Atlantic* Savor the local flavors: Enjoy authentic jamón serrano, tapas, and Galician wine, or grab cheese and freshly baked bread for a picnic lunch* The best detours, festivals, and villages along the way: Linger in Estella, witness the running of the bulls in Pamplona, visit the monastery in Nájera, or sip wine in Cacabelos* Essential planning information on when to go, how to get there, where to eat, and where to stay, from pilgrim dorms to private hotels, plus tips on hazards, precautions, and gear* Expert advice from Beebe Bahrami, who has walked the Camino more than 20 times, including valuable history and context of the pilgrimage and the sacred sites, landscape, culture, and local etiquette* Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout, plus a handy fold-out map of the entire route* Helpful resources on Covid and walking the Camino* Handy tools and background information including Spanish and French phrasebooks, visa information, volunteer opportunities, and tips for seniors, women traveling alone, religious and secular travelers, and LGBTQ travelersStart your transformative journey with Moon Camino de Santiago's expert insight, unique suggestions, and practical advice.About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell-and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you.For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.
£17.99