Search results for ""author jan"

The power which has always started the greatest religious and political avalanches in history rolling has from time immemorial been the magic power of the spoken word, and that alone.""—Adolf Hitler, Mein KampfAs historians have long noted, public oratory has seldom been as pivotal in generating and sustaining the vitality of a movement as it was during the rise and rule of the National Socialist Party, from 1919 to 1945. Led by the charismatic and indefatigable Hitler,National Socialists conducted one of the most powerful rhetorical campaigns ever recorded. Indeed, the mass addresses, which were broadcast live on radio, taped for re-broadcast, and in many cases filmed for play on theater newsreels throughout the Third Reich, constituted one of the most thorough exploitations of media in history. Because such evil lay at the heart of the National Socialist movement, its overwhelming rhetoric has often been negatively characterized as propaganda. As Randall Bytwerk points out, however, the ""propaganda"" label was anything but negative in the minds of the leaders of the National Socialist movement. In their view, the clear, simplistic, and even one-sided presentation of information was necessary to mobilize effectively all elements of the German population into the National Socialist program. Gathered here are thirteen key speeches of this historically significant movement, including Hitler's announcement of the party's reestablishment in 1925 following the unsuccessful Beer Hall Putsch, four addresses by Joseph Goebbels, the 1938 Kristallnacht speech by Julius Streicher, and four speeches drafted as models for party leaders' use on various public occasions. The volume concludes with Adolf Hitler's final public address on January 30, 1945, three months before his suicide. Several of these works are presented for the first time in English translation. Bytwerk provides a brief introduction to each speech and allows the reader to trace the development and downfall of the Nazi party.Landmark Speeches of National Socialism is an important volume for students of rhetoric, World War II, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust.

Read more less

Today, in the era of the spoiler alert, "surprise" in fiction is primarily associated with an unexpected plot twist, but in earlier usage, the word had darker and more complex meanings. Originally denoting a military ambush or physical assault, surprise went through a major semantic shift in the eighteenth century: from violent attack to pleasurable experience, and from external event to internal feeling. In Surprise, Christopher R. Miller studies that change as it took shape in literature ranging from Paradise Lost through the novels of Jane Austen. Miller argues that writers of the period exploited and arbitrated the dual nature of surprise in its sinister and benign forms. Even as surprise came to be associated with pleasure, it continued to be perceived as a problem: a sign of ignorance or naïveté, an uncontrollable reflex, a paralysis of rationality, and an experience of mere novelty or diversion for its own sake. In close readings of exemplary scenes—particularly those involving astonished or petrified characters—Miller shows how novelists sought to harness the energies of surprise toward edifying or comic ends, while registering its underpinnings in violence and mortal danger. In the Roman poet Horace’s famous axiom, poetry should instruct and delight, but in the early eighteenth century, Joseph Addison signally amended that formula to suggest that the imaginative arts should surprise and delight. Investigating the significance of that substitution, Miller traces an intellectual history of surprise, involving Aristotelian poetics, Cartesian philosophy, Enlightenment concepts of the passions, eighteenth-century literary criticism and aesthetics, and modern emotion theory. Miller goes on to offer a fresh reading of what it means to be "surprised by sin" in Paradise Lost, showing how Milton’s epic both harks back to the symbolic functions of violence in allegory and looks ahead to the moral contours of the novel. Subsequent chapters study the Miltonic ramifications of surprise in the novels of Defoe, Haywood, Richardson, Fielding, and Sterne, as well as in the poems of Wordsworth and Keats. By focusing on surprise in its inflections as emotion, cognition, and event, Miller’s book illuminates connections between allegory and formal realism, between aesthetic discourse and prose fiction, and between novel and lyric; and it offers new ways of thinking about the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of the novel as the genre emerged in the eighteenth century.

Read more less

"Anyone with a serious interest in the future of education will find this book provocative, prescient, prescriptive, and pivotal. It is a must-read for those responsible for preparing educational institutions at all levels for their new role in our networked society."--Vinton G. Cerf, senior vice president, MCI WORLDCOM, and chairman, Internet Society "Transformative. That's what networks are; that's the role our institutions must fill for society; and that's what our leadership must be. This book provides valuable insight into networks and the challenges we must address to ensure that higher education thrives in the Knowledge Age."--Molly Corbett Broad, president, University of North Carolina "This book will prove essential to presidents and other campus leaders who must plan for, and invest in, the networking infrastructures that will powerfully impact the futures of our institutions."--John Hitt, president, University of Central Florida "All of educational practice will eventually contribute to the creative and fast-paced links that we know through the Internet. The thoughtful essays in this volume can, indeed, help us prepare for that future."--Jane Margaret "Maggie" O'Brien, president, St. Mary's College of Maryland This first volume from the EDUCAUSE Leadership Strategies series examines the changes and challenges that the advanced Internet2 will bring to higher education campuses everywhere. Edited by Mark Luker and featuring the insights of experienced campus leaders and information professionals, this forward-thinking guide provides a roadmap to the extraordinary capabilities of the advanced Internet to come. The contributors reveal how this new networking environment will affect business operations, academic instruction, libraries, information management, regional partnerships, federal funding, policy decisions, and more. Each chapter offers specific recommendations and strategic advice to help institutional leaders make complex decisions about the future of networking on their campuses-such as when, how, and how much to invest in upgrading current technology to support the new networking environment. Far from a technical study, Preparing Your Campus for a Networked Future is a pragmatic exploration of what leaders can do to prepare for continually evolving technology.

Read more less

Common wisdom has it that when Auden left England for New York in January 1939, he had already written his best poems. He left behind (most critics believe) all the idealisms of the 1930s and all serious concerns to become an unserious poet, a writer of ingenious, agreeable, minor lyrics. Lucy McDiarmid argues that such readers, spoiled by the simple intensities of apocalypse, distort and misjudge Auden's greatest work. She shows that once Auden was freed from the obligation to criticize and reform the society of his native country, he devoted his imaginative energies to commentary on art. And about art he was never complaisant: with greater passion than he had ever used to undermine "bourgeois" society, Auden undermined literature. Every major poem and every essay became a retractio, a statement of art's frivolity, vanity, and guilt. Auden's Apologies for Poetry, then, sets forth the unorthodox notion that the chief subject of later, "New Yorker" Auden is the insignificance of poetry. Commenting on all the major poems and essays from the 1930s through the 1960s, and analyzing manuscript revisions and unpublished works, it charts the changes in Auden's poetics in the light of his shift from an oral to a written model of poetry. In his earliest work Auden voices the tentative hope that poems can be like loving spoken words, transforming and redeeming, themselves carriers of value. After 1939 he takes for granted a written model. His later essays and poems deny art spiritual value, claiming that "love, or truth in any serious sense" is a "reticence," the unarticulated worth that exists--if at all--outside the words on the page. Later Auden creates a poetics of apology and self-deprecation, a radical undermining of poetry itself. Originally published in 1990. 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.

Read more less

The popular image of a mid-century ad woman is of a feisty girl beating men at their own game, a female Horatio Alger protagonist battling her way through the sexist workplace. But before the fictional rise of Peggy Olson or the real-life stories of Patricia Tierney and Jane Maas came Jean Wade Rindlaub: a female powerbroker who used her considerable success in the workplace to encourage other women--to stick to their kitchens. The Angel in the Marketplace is the story of one of America's most accomplished advertising executives. It is also the story of how advertisers like Rindlaub sold a postwar American dream of capitalism and a Christian corporate order. Rindlaub was responsible for award-winning, mega sales-generating advertisements for all things domestic, including Oneida Silverware, Betty Crocker Cake Mix, Campbell's Soup, and Chiquita Bananas. Her success largely came from embracing, rather than subverting, the cultural expectations of women. She believed her responsibility as an advertiser was not to spring women from their trap, but to make that trap more comfortable. Rindlaub wasn't just selling silverware and cakes, she was selling the virtues of free enterprise. By following the arc of Rindlaub's career from the 1920s through the 1960s, we witness how a range of cultural narratives--advertising chief among them--worked powerfully to shape women's emotional and economic behavior in support of the free market system. Alongside Rindlaub's story, Ellen Wayland-Smith provides a riveting history of how women were repeatedly sold the idea that their role as housewives was more powerful, and more patriotic, than any outside the home. And by buying into the image of morality through an unregulated market, many of these women helped fuel backlash against economic regulation and socialization efforts throughout the twentieth century. The Angel in the Marketplace is a nuanced portrayal of a complex woman, one who both shaped and reflected the complicated cultural, political, and religious forces defining femininity in America at mid-century. This compelling account of one of advertising's most fervent believers is a tale of a Mad Woman we haven't been told.

Read more less

Great Relationships Are Your Key To Business Success. Whether you're just starting your career or have been in the business world for years, this book provides all the tools you'll need to create long lasting success in your life. Why wait to build the life you've always dreamed of? Running your life is very much like running a business, and People Tools for Business is filled with practical ideas to help you run your life more effectively and efficiently.YOU CAN MAKE A CAREER OUT OF BEING HAPPY In this sequel to his New York Times Bestseller People Tools (January 2014), Alan C. Fox shares the most important lessons from his successful and distinguished life. The reader can use the tools described in this book to achieve success both in the boardroom and at home. WHAT ARE PEOPLE TOOLS? "People Tools" are practical life skills that are easy to understand. They are free to use and yet they will significantly improve your ability to work well with other people. From developing self-confidence, to making healthier life decisions to being a better manager, each tool provides a straightforward approach to help you get more effective results.Filled with insightful examples and entertaining anecdotes, People Tools is fun to read but will have long-lasting impact. The stories will charm you; the advice will change your life. TAKE CONTROL: YOU ARE THE SOLE PROPRIETOR OF YOUR OWN LIFE. The time-tested tools outlined in this book are useful shortcuts that you can use to solve everyday problems. You will find the advice applicable not only to business but to all aspects of your personal life as well. GET ADVICE FROM THE BEST IN THE BUSINESSAlan C. Fox has used the People Tools outlined in this book to build a rich and fulfilling life. He has built a commercial real estate company worth more than $1.5 billion, launched a nationally renowned poetry journal, and established a foundation that provides millions in funding to non-profit organizations that work with young people. He has also raised a large and loving family and created a trusted circle of close friends and colleagues.Let Alan Be Your Personal MentorLife and work are full of challenges, but with the practical strategies outlined in this book, Alan will show you how to live the life of your dreams.

Read more less

COMPARATIVE URBANISM ‘Comparative Urbanism fully transforms the scope and purpose of urban studies today, distilling innovative conceptual and methodological tools. The theoretical and empirical scope is astounding, enlightening, emboldening. Robinson peels away conceptual labels that have anointed some cities as paradigmatic and left others as mere copies. She recalibrates overly used theoretical perspectives, resurrects forgotten ones long in need of a dusting off, and brings to the fore those often marginalised. Robinson’s approach radically re-distributes who speaks for the urban, and which urban conditions shape our theoretical understandings. With Comparative Urbanism in our hands, we can start the practice of urban studies anywhere and be relevant to any number of elsewheres.’ Jane M. Jacobs, Professor of Urban Studies, Yale-NUS College, Singapore ‘How to think the multiplicity of urban realities at the same time, across different times and rhythmic arrangements; how to move with the emergences and stand-stills, with conceptualisations that do justice to all things gathered under the name of the urban. How to imagine comparatively amongst differences that remain different, individualised outcomes, but yet exist in-common. No book has so carefully conducted a specifically urban philosophy on these matters, capable of beginning and ending anywhere.’ AbdouMaliq Simone, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Institute, University of Sheffield The rapid pace and changing nature of twenty-first century urbanisation as well as the diversity of global urban experiences calls for new theories and new methodologies in urban studies. In Comparative Urbanism: Tactics for Global Urban Studies, Jennifer Robinson proposes grounds for reformatting comparative urban practice and offers a wide range of tactics for researching global urban experiences. The focus is on inventing new concepts as well as revising existing approaches. Inspired by postcolonial and decolonial critiques of urban studies she advocates for an experimental comparative urbanism, open to learning from different urban experiences and to expanding conversations amongst urban scholars across the globe. The book features a wealth of examples of comparative urban research, concerned with many dimensions of urban life. A range of theoretical and philosophical approaches ground an understanding of the radical revisability and emergent nature of concepts of the urban. Advanced students, urbanists and scholars will be prompted to compose comparisons which trace the interconnected and relational character of the urban, and to think with the variety of urban experiences and urbanisation processes across the globe, to produce the new insights the twenty-first century urban world demands.

Read more less

Based on the incredible true story of The Great Stork Derby, Prize Women is the profoundly moving novel that sheds light on a scandalous moment in history just as relevant today'Gorgeous. Prize Women took my breath away. I haven't stopped thinking about it' JENNIFER SAINT'Wonderfully evocative and intelligent. Sheds light on a scandalous moment in history I knew nothing about, told with great sensitivity and grace. I was entranced' EMMA STONEX'This heartbreaking story explores friendship, strength and the fight to survive' WOMAN'S WEEKLY___________Toronto, 1926.A childless millionaire leaves behind an astonishing will: the recipient of his fortune will be decided in a contest known as 'The Great Stork Derby'. His money will go to the winner: the woman who bears the most children in the ten years after his death.Lily di Marco is young, pregnant, and terrified of her husband. Fleeing to Toronto, she arrives on the doorstep of glamorous free spirit Mae Thebault. At a time when men hold all the power, Lily and Mae look out for each other. But as their friendship grows, Lily wonders if there's more to Mae - and her past - than she has been told . . .And as the Great Depression bites, the Stork Derby contest - with its alluring prize - proves too good to ignore for Lily and Mae, each living hand to mouth.These best friends are now fierce rivals. But if only one woman can win, what will the contest cost the other?___________'A profoundly moving and absolutely gripping novel about the choices women face - and the choices they are denied. I cannot recommend it highly enough' ELODIE HARPER'This tale of two women resonates with what is happening in the world today. I was gripped by Lily and Mae's story, the desperate choices that women still face' LOUISE HARE'Fascinating historical fiction with a feminist slant' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A serious, thoughtful and epic journey into the trials of motherhood . . . With her contrasting female characters, Lea interrogates the fight for female agency across class divides, a struggle that continues to this day. A fascinating snapshot of another time, perhaps not as far removed from our own as we might hope' JANICE HALLET'Wonderfully researched and full of evocative historical detail' CULTUREFLY 'Masterful. Caroline Lea is a superb storyteller, and Prize Women deserves a huge readership. So good, I had to pull myself away' ELIZABETH MACNEAL

Read more less

The definitive guide to childbirth from the Home of Hypnobirthing More than 100,000 copies sold worldwide, helping countless babies into the world. 15 unique relaxation scripts to help prepare you for a calm and confident birth. Audio download to accompany the book so it's easy to make practice and relaxation part of your daily routine KGH is The home of Hypnobirthing, KGH is taught in Hospitals, Antenatal Classes and by Midwives and Birthing Professionals all around the world. The KGH Teacher training course is accredited by the Royal College of Midwives and is the source material for many other Hypnobirthing books and courses. This major new update of The Hypnobirthing Book is your complete and essential guide to making the birth of your child the most wonderful and uplifting experience of both your lives. The book's calm and confident advice - rooted in Katharine's many years of practical experience as a doula and teacher - describes what happens to your body during pregnancy and childbirth, empowering you to listen to your body to help you to achieve a calm and confident birth. The book explains the vital role of the birth partner and covers all types of birth situation. When you follow the proven logical and evidence based KG Hypnobirthing techniques, you will have all the tools you need to release any fears you have about labour and to enjoy your baby's birth. Tips and techniques for overcoming previous birth trauma and other challenges help you achieve the birth you want - for you and your baby The thing about KGHypnobirthing is that it works,' - a KG Hypnobirthing father 'Beyond grateful to... Katharine for the inspiration, wisdom and guidance she shared, which empowered us more than I can explain' Ella Mills, Deliciously Ella 'Katharine Graves is the Godmother of Awakened Midwifery. She teaches a very important aspect of feminism; how to honour and unleash (perhaps) the greatest power of humanity, the ability to create life and consciously bring it forth into the world' - Russell Brand 'My work with Katharine kept me calm and focused as my labour took a number of unexpected twists and turns. I felt well prepared and although I ended up having a C-section rather than a planned natural birth, I found her programme helped enormously to guide me through each step. Baby Rae and I now happily listen to Katharine's meditations together - I think she recognises her voice!' - Sarah-Jane Mee

Read more less

*Well-Read Black Girl - Book Club Pick*As an incredible glass-ceiling breaker and the woman who brought timeless television shows like The Game and Being Mary Jane to cable, Debra Lee has been the visionary responsible for elevating Black images and storytelling for decades. Now she's telling her own story, in an intimate and eye-opening tale about the triumphant and tricky moments of a career in entertainment.I Am Debra Lee is a page-turner, filled with deeply personal revelations, juicy celebrity intel, and electrifying behind-the-scenes stories that reveal how she went from a girl raised in the segregated South to leading the first Black company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and how she juggled social responsibility while managing a company targeted toward the Black community. In a rousing narrative, Lee writes: "I don't just love Black culture-the magic in our hair, the swagger in our steps, the particular way we can say 'alright now' to fit our changing moods-Black culture saved me." In her exciting debut, she answers all of our questions about building an unapologetically Black enterprise as a Black woman. What to do when you're forced to attend a board meeting eight weeks after a C-section. How to manage a team of men when you're the first female CEO at the company. How she learned the hard way to say no to those in power when their vision didn't align with her purpose.I Am Debra Lee tackles lessons that women CEOs rarely dare to. She addresses her personal struggles with motherhood and "having it all," navigating reproductive choice, fertility, and #MeToo while achieving great professional success. Being Black and a woman in corporate life isn't easy for anyone. But Lee shows how she evolved from a shy girl who dreaded public speaking to becoming a force to be reckoned with as she helped build the leading entertainment company for Black audiences and consumers of Black culture globally.?I Am Debra Lee is a must-read for all strivers in any industry. Lee is a truthteller about the critical choices that Black leaders face. As she has done her whole career, in this book, she opens the door for others to come after her, by sharing the truth behind her own inspiring story of power, perseverance, and success.

Read more less

My little boy's room was empty, his bed neatly made. Alarm bells should have rung immediately. Then the knock on the door came. All I remember is a thick fog wrapping itself tightly around me. This couldn't be happening to us . . . Three years ago, nurse Zoe's son Ethan was found drowned in a muddy river by their home, along with his best friend Josh. With no witnesses, their deaths were ruled a tragic accident. Heartbroken, Zoe and her family move away from her home. They're just beginning to get back to some kind of normality, when, out of the blue, Zoe receives an anonymous email: You need to find out the truth about what happened to your son. Don't let this rest. Don't believe the lie. Shaken, Zoe starts an obsessive hunt for the truth. But why is her husband so reluctant to help? And why is Josh's mother so determined not to believe her? An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller about a mother's desperate search for the truth. Fans of Jane Corry, Jenny Blackhurst and Rachel Abbott will be hooked from the very first page.See what readers are saying about The Warning:'Man, what a book! Can I repeat again - what a book!...a thrilling rush in each page ...a total rollercoaster ride. I loved its bumpy roads, the twists and turns churned my stomach, and I enjoyed every bit of it'. Book Reviews by Shalini'Oh my goodness! This twisty thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way until the very end ...fascinating ... I could not put it down...interesting and captivating.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars.'Absolutely cracking psychological thriller... a truly magnificent read. I was glued to it from start to finish, barely able to put it down... the exact book I needed to kick my reading mojo back into gear.' Leah Reads Books'OMG Kathryn Croft has done it again!!! I devoured this book in two days!!! I absolutely loved it along with all the other books I've read of hers. From the beginning to end kept in suspense and shock. I really didn't see any of it coming.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars'I proudly hand over 5 twisty messed-up stars to this book!!! I loved this and all the WTF moments... It was so freakin' cool to read! Very interesting plot(s) going on here!! Twisted, twisty, dark, sad, awesome!!! Oh let's just say... THAT ending!... 5 Stars from me!!!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

Read more less

In this startling, intensively researched book, bestselling historian Paul Kengor shines light on a deeply troubling aspect of American history: the prominent role of the “dupe.” From the Bolshevik Revolution through the Cold War and right up to the present, many progressives have unwittingly aided some of America’s most dangerous opponents.Based on never-before-published FBI files, Soviet archives, and other primary sources, Dupes exposes the legions of liberals who have furthered the objectives of America’s adversaries. Kengor shows not only how such dupes contributed to history’s most destructive ideology—Communism, which claimed at least 100 million lives—but also why they are so relevant to today’s politics.Dupes reveals: Shocking reports on how Senator Ted Kennedy secretly approached the Soviet leadership to undermine not one but two American presidents. Stunning new evidence that Frank Marshall Davis—mentor to a young Barack Obama—had extensive Communist ties and demonized Democrats. Jimmy Carter’s woeful record dealing with America’s two chief foes of the past century, Communism and Islamism. Today’s dupes, including the congressmen whose overseas anti-American propaganda trip was allegedly financed by foreign intelligence. How ’60s Marxist radicals—Tom Hayden, Mark Rudd, Jane Fonda, Jeff Jones, Bill Ayers, and more—have suddenly reemerged as “progressives for Obama.'' How Franklin Roosevelt was duped by “Uncle Joe” Stalin—and by a top adviser who may have been a Soviet agent—despite clear warnings from fellow Democrats. How John Kerry’s accusations that American soldiers committed war crimes in Vietnam may have been the product of Soviet disinformation. The many Hollywood stars who were duped, including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Gene Kelly—and even Ronald Reagan. Soviet records that demonstrate beyond doubt the Communists’ expansionist aims and their targeting of American liberals, especially academics and the Religious Left. How liberals still defend the same Communists who trashed Democratic icons like Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Harry Truman, and JFK—and still attack the anti-Communists who tried to spare them from manipulation. Details on many other dupes (and dupers), including Arthur Miller, Dr. Benjamin Spock, John Dewey, H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Lillian Hellman, Howard Zinn, Walter Cronkite, and Helen Thomas. Packed with stunning revelations, Dupes shows in frightening detail how U.S. adversaries exploit the American home front.

Read more less

Euphoric is your 8-week plan for an alcohol-free lifestyle that can lead to more happiness, well-being, and self-love. It’s the modern woman’s guide to relax without alcohol, find freedom from cravings and fitting in, and create the life you want--along with the audacity to go after it. Imagine a program that makes the benefits of “Dry January” last all year. That’s Euphoric!Alcohol is everywhere in our society, and it’s hard to resist. The pressures to fit in and have “just one drink”--that turns into several--whether at a party or on a casual Friday night, can lead to an imbalanced life that’s plagued with unhealthy habits, low self-esteem, and decreased productivity.How can you change your relationship with alcohol without feeling deprived or like a social outcast? First, decide you want a change and then pick up Euphoric,from certified alcohol-free life coach Karolina Rzadkowolska.Karolina has helped thousands of casual drinkers transform their relationship with alcohol, including herself. In Euphoric, she shares a proven strategy to make alcohol insignificant in your life. In just eight weeks, you can ditch alcohol and learn how to: Create a natural buzz that alcohol can only mimic Be fully present with your kids, partner, and friends Feel more energized, look better, and live healthier Enjoy the best sleep of your life Have fun in any social situation, without drinking Accomplish goals with your newfound drive Become confident to chase your biggest dreams Euphoric presents an 8-week, easy-to-customize plan for anyone who wants to transform their relationship with alcohol and experience the life-changing benefits that happen when you take a break from booze to focus the health of your mind, body, and soul.Here’s the plan! Week 1: Examine and Dismantle Limiting Beliefs Week 2: Let Go of Shame Week 3: Step into Your Best Health Week 4: Navigate Your Social Life Week 5: Get Mindful and Embody Self-Love Week 6: Find Pure and Utter Happiness Week 7: Create Your Dream Life Week 8: Step into Your Purpose Reclaim yourself and rejuvenate your life, as you make alcohol irrelevant and get motivated to claim a new lifestyle clearly focused on your goals, priority, and values.

Read more less

Single-mother Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson returns in another nail-biting, high-voltage read. When Lori is kidnapped, and her family threatened, she has 48 hours to save them ... or lose everything... 'A real cracker' Mark Billingham 'My kind of book' Lee Child 'Like Midnight Run, but much darker ... really, really good' Ian Rankin _________________ A price on her head. A secret worth dying for. 48 hours to expose the truth... Single-mother bounty-hunter Lori Anderson finally has her family back together, but her new-found happiness is shattered when she's snatched by the Miami Mob - and they want her dead. Rather than a bullet, they offer her a job: find the Mob's 'numbers man' who's in protective custody after being forced to turn federal witness against them. If Lori succeeds, they'll wipe the slate clean and the price on her head - and those of her family - will be removed. If she fails, they die. With North due in court in 48 hours, Lori sets off across Florida, racing against the clock to find him and save her family. Only in this race the prize is more deadly - and the secret she shares with JT more dangerous - than she ever could have imagined. In this race only the winner gets out alive... _________________ 'Fresh, fast and zinging with energy' Sunday Mirror 'Romping entertainment that moves faster than a bullet' Sunday Express 'Lori thinks with viper-like speed, speaks with strength and acts from her gut. Steph Broadribb has constructed a thoroughly believable world full of substantial yet flawed characters. I quite simply love this series, I leap in with total faith and just let myself go. Deep Dirty Truth is a thrilling, assertive and energetic read' LoveReading 'Sharp, thrilling and one hell of a ride. This series just gets better and better!' Chris Whitaker 'Brilliant and pacey' Steve Cavanagh 'Perfect for fans of Lee Child and Janet Evanovich' Alex Caan 'Broadribb's writing is fresh and vivid, crackling with life ... an impressive thriller, the kind of book that comfortably sits alongside seasoned pros' Crime Watch 'Stylish with an original take on the lone wolf/bounty hunter theme. This is a novel alive with tension and intriguing twists. ... There's a good deal of wit at the expense of the complacent, anachronistic, loud mouthed quick-fisted mobsters. Just a whole hell of a lot of fun' New Books Magazine

Read more less

'A masterclass in psychological suspense. I couldn't put it down' Claire Douglas'A gripping new thriller by Gilly Macmillan - the mistress of classy suspense' Shari Lapena'A superbly plotted, breathless mystery' Lucy Clarke'A one-sit read. Creepy, compelling and superbly plotted' Sarah Pearse'Twisty and propulsive' Harriet Tyce______________________________Be careful what you wish for...Nicole and Tom's lives are changed overnight by a ten-million-pound lottery win.Before they know it they've moved into a state-of-the-art Glass Barn conversion in the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire.But their dream quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool, with a wound on his head.Someone close to home must be responsible. But other than the young couple who live in the Manor, and their housekeeper in the Coach House next door, there's no one around for miles.Who among them is capable of murder?_____________________________Praise for Gilly Macmillan:'Gilly Macmillan writes with verve and emotional acuity' New York Times'Brilliantly written, completely unputdownable, absolutely unmissable' Tim Weaver'A smart, well-told story that allows us to indulge our sneaky curiosity about what instant money can do to people's lives' Daily Mail'Plenty of twists and turns in this truly layered novel. Cleverly put together, it'll have you thinking long after you've finished reading' Belfast Telegraph'Great characters and a clever plot make for a highly engaging read. Storytelling at its best!' B.A. Paris'A truly excellent read' Jane Shemilt'Full of devious twists and turns' Cara Hunter'White-knuckled suspense' Tess Gerritsen'This is another winner for me. Absolutely loved it. Gripping, page turning and so cleverly plotted. I had real sympathy for the characters (some of them at least!)' Emma Curtis'What a tangly, twisting story! The Fall is completely unpredictable, and absolutely un-putdownable' Ava Glass'The Fall is an out-and-out winner! Hugely enjoyable, flawlessly crafted, beautifully written. This is a superior mystery of the highest order' C.M. Ewan'Brilliantly crafted' Woman & Home'Cleverly put together, it'll have you thinking long after you've finished reading' Press Association'Its intense plot, relatable characters and plethora of exciting twists and turns will leave readers gasping. I devoured each and every delicious page' Mystery and Suspense'Gilly Macmillan [is] one of the best writers of dark and twisty thrillers currently at work' Shots Magazine'Macmillan's on top twisty form' Press Association

Read more less

The U.S. military invests heavily in time and resources to train its officers to be leaders in the broadest sense – forming them not only in military art and science (strategy, tactics, command, etc.), but also in humanistic knowledge, character, and values, as well as how to apply this education on a lightning-fast battlefield or within an inertially slow bureaucracy. The military develops its leaders, at the service academies and in ROTC programs, through very specific but also broad and deep education – a way of thinking that also has wide application in the civilian world, not only in various professional fields that need leaders and thinkers, but also among military history enthusiasts who want to understand how officers have thought across time and among American citizens who want – and, really, need – to understand how our military leaders think, how they advise presidents, how they lead on the battlefield.In a genre-busting book that spans Stackpole’s two longstanding military programs – reference and history – Reed Bonadonna describes how officers think, how they ought to think, how they develop their skills, and how they can improve these skills, as well as how average civilians and citizens can learn from the example of military officers and their program of education. Bonadonna draws from military history, from military arts and science, from literature and science and more, to show how officers develop their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. A military officer is often called upon to be not only fighter and leader, but also negotiator, organizer, planner and preparer, teacher, writer, scientist, and advisor, and needs broad learning. This is a deeply learned and insightful book, one that cites Lincoln, Grant, Patton, Eisenhower, Marshall, and Churchill as easily as Sun Tzu and Clausewitz, not to mention Homer, Plato, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves, George Orwell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Joseph Heller, Phil Klay, and even Jane Austen. The book is descriptive as well as prescriptive and should find eager readers inside the military (where officers take seriously their professional education and their professional reading lists) as well as outside, where many look to the military, to military reading lists, and to military history, to glean lessons for life and work.

Read more less

Four old friends. Thrown back together after forty years apart. What could possibly go wrong? In the 1970s, The Girls were best friends sharing a house and good times: Zara the famous diva actor, Val the uptight solicitor, Jackie the wild child and Pauline the quirky introvert. Now they're in their twilight years, and Zara suggests that they live with her to support each other through old age. Initially, being housemates again is just as much fun as in their heyday. But then Zara reveals the real reason she asked them to move in with her, and suddenly things take a sinister turn. As the women confront their demons they come under the spotlight of the press, the police and an angry parrot. With their lives spiralling out of control can they save their friendships and each other? Praise for The Girls: 'This wonderful book made me laugh, made me cry and most of all made me hope that my own gang of girls will be there for me when I need them the most. I loved it!' – Sarah Bennett 'Book club fiction at its best. A wonderfully uplifting story, funny, fabulous and full of heart – utterly brilliant!' – Faith Hogan Readers love Bella Osborne's books! 'Such a heart-warming and thought-provoking novel! A touching tale of true friendship, overcoming adversity and the genuine joy books can bring to our lives' – Jill Mansell 'A touching tale that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face' – Hazel Prior 'A story that was deeply moving, and ultimately uplifting... Definitely recommended – it was one of my best reads this year' – Janet Gover 'Heart-rending and inspiring in equal measures. A wonderful story. I adored it!' – Celia Anderson 'Beautifully and sensitively written, the characterisation is superb!' – Sue Moorcroft 'Absolutely LOVED IT! It's Bella's best book yet! A glorious heartfelt novel' – Christie Barlow 'The Library is a beautifully uplifting story full of wit, warmth and tender moments, with community at its heart and characters you truly care about' – Cressida McLaughlin 'I absolutely loved this book. Heart-warming with genuine characters, the plot pulled me in and I was rooting for the library every step of the way. A great tonic for the times and highly recommended!' – Talli Roland

Read more less

For the best adventures, use the best map. Fuerteventura is a large, 1,660 square kilometres, island. At 65k scale Fuerteventura Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map is a large 960mm by 620mm, double sided map sheet, which folds down to its 220mm by 120mm pocket size. A specialist concertina map fold means this map is easy to unfold for use and then refold to its pocket size. Super-Durable means that the Tour & Trail Map is printed on a plastic substrate using specially curing inks to produce a map that feels like silk but is tougher than any other map. Super-Durable is backed by a Discovery Walking Guides (DWG) 2-Year Guarantee against failure in the adventurous use for which the map is designed. If your Super-Durable Map gets dirty then gently wipe clean with a soft wet cloth and allow to fully dry before refolding to pocket size. On one side of the map is the island's north with the south on the reverse side. There's a generous common overlap to minimise turning the map in use. 100 metre contours combined with altitude shading bring these impressive landscapes to life. All the legendary Tour & Trail attention to detail is included, so that you'll find those petrol stations, mirador viewpoints with parking, refreshment stops with parking and accurate road numbering that are essential when adventuring by hire car. The recently opened motorway-style main roads bypassing Costa Calma and linking Corralejo to Puerto del Rosario are included, along with their detailed road junctions. 'Off-Tarmac' Fuerteventura Tour & Trail Map is in a league of its own thanks to all the hiking trails and dirt tracks included in our map design. The GR131 Official (155 kilometre/7 days) long distance walking trail from Faro de Jandia to Corralejo and the Isla de Lobos is specially highlighted in red. All the walking routes (30+) from Landscapes of Fuerteventura plus routes (40+) from Fuerteventura-Hiking are specially highlighted in green. All of the highlighted walking routes are backed up by detailed gps survey records. Whichever walking adventures you choose, you'll find them on our Fuerteventura Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map. See Amelia Bolger's You Tube 3 Stunning Walks in Fuerteventura to see the island landscapes. Digital editions for phone apps and Garmin users are available on the Discovery Walking Guides website. See You Tube 3 Stunning Walks in Fuerteventura.

Read more less

'Carter's novels hark back to the halcyon days of Agatha Christie... [her] bending of the classic tropes into the bleak, raw-boned setting of the Inishowen Peninsula sets her books apart' Irish Times'Her best yet... Andrea conjures up a phenomenal sense of place. She is such an assured, stylish writer and The Body Falls is remarkably gripping' Jo Spain'Tense, atmospheric - it grips the reader ever tighter as the mystery deepens' Brian McGillowayApril in Florida and Ben O'Keeffe is enjoying balmy temperatures, working the last few days of a six-month stint with her old law firm. A week later she returns to Glendara, Inishowen where a charity cycle race is taking place. But it starts to rain, causing the cyclists to postpone the start of their event and stay overnight in the town. But the rain doesn't stop; it increases to become relentless, torrential.In the middle of the night Sergeant Tom Molloy is called out to Mamore Gap, where a body, dislodged from a high bank by the heavy rain, has fallen onto the vet's jeep. It is identified as Bob Jameson, a well-known local charities boss, and the organiser of the cycling event. Stunned, the GP confirms that the man has suffered a snakebite.Terrible weather persists and soon bridges are down and roads are impassable. Glendara is completely cut off, with a killer at the heart of the community. Who is responsible for Bob Jameson's death? One of the strangers in town or someone closer to home? It's left to Molloy, with Ben's assistance, to find out what is going on.'Starting a new Inishowen novel is like settling in for a gossip with a really good friend. Ben O'Keeffe is a totally engaging main character and her adventures are as convincing as they are gripping. The Body Falls is a hugely entertaining small-town mystery with a very satisfying resolution; I can't wait to read the next in the series' Jane CaseyPraise for Andrea Carter's Inishowen Mysteries series'Atmospheric and vivid' The Irish Times'I adored this traditional crime novel; it's modern day Agatha Christie with Ben as Miss Marple' Irish Examiner'The colourful cast of characters may be fictional, but the landscapes, towns and villages are instantly recognisable' Irish Daily Mail'A beguiling heroine - clever, sympathetic and bearing a weight of guilt' The Times

Read more less

David King Gleason provides a grand tour of Virginia's distinctive plantation homes. As the architectural historian Calder Loth states in his prefatory note, ""Gleason's elegant photographs provide a seductive image of life in 'Old Virginia.' He presents one inviting house after another, complete with handsome interiors, and spacious grounds dotted with boxwoods and venerable trees.""Unlike those in the Deep South, most of Virginia's plantation homes were built before the antebellum period and mainly reflect colonial, English Georgian, and Jeffersonian styles of architecture. Gleason has photographed the homes in all seasons, framing some in the pink blossoms of springtime dogwoods, showing others surrounded by the golden hues of autumn, and presenting still others blanketed in January snows. Many of the photographs provide aerial perspectives that encompass not only the homes themselves but outbuildings and dependencies, great lawns and terraced gardens.The book begins with homes in the Tidewater region, where Bacon's Castle, built in 1665 on the south bank of the James River, still stands. It is the oldest surviving house not only in Virginia but in all of English-settled North America. Other houses from the Tidewater region include Westover, considered one of the most beautiful Georgian residences in the United States; Brandon, at one time the home of Benjamin Harrison; Appomattox Manor, where Ulysses S. Grant headquartered for a period during the Civil War; and Carter's Grove, near Williamsburg. In northern Virginia and the Shenandoah valley are Gunston Hall, near Alexandria; Woodlawn, in Fairfax County; Washington's Mount Vernon; and Melrose, a castellated manor inspired by the romantic literature of Sir Walter Scott. In the Piedmont, Gleason photographed such houses as Ash Lawn, the home of James Monroe; Edgemont, an exquisitely proportioned house showing Thomas Jefferson's influence; and Estouteville, whose great center hall opens onto identical Tuscan porticos framing magnificent views of the Virginia countryside. Gleason's photographs of a mist-shrouded Monticello are among the most beautiful in the book. In all, Gleason has photographed more than eighty of Virginia's finest plantation homes. Extensive captions provide concise histories of each house, including its original builder and subsequent owners, and its occupants, either friendly or hostile, during the Revolutionary or Civil wars.

Read more less

A major historical phenomenon of our century, exile has been a focal point for reflections about individual and cultural identity and problems of nationalism, racism, and war. Whether emigrés, exiles, expatriates, refugees, or nomads, these people all experience a distance from their homes and often their native languages. Exile and Creativity brings together the widely varied perspectives of nineteen distinguished European and American scholars and cultural critics to ask: Is exile a falling away from a source of creativity associated with the wholeness of home and one’s own language, or is it a spur to creativity?In essays that range chronologically from the Renaissance to the 1990s, geographically from the Danube to the Andes, and historically from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, the complexities and tensions of exile and the diversity of its experiences are examined. Recognizing exile as an interior experience as much as a physical displacement, this collection discusses such varied topics as intellectual exile and seventeenth-century French literature; different versions of home and of the novel in the writings of Bakhtin and Lukács; the displacement of James Joyce and Clarice Lispector; a young journalist’s meeting with James Baldwin in the south of France; Jean Renoir’s Hollywood years; and reflections by the descendents of European emigrés. Strikingly, many of the essays are themselves the work of exiles, bearing out once more the power of the personal voice in scholarship.With the exception of the contribution by Henry Louis Gates Jr., these essays were originally published in a special double issue of Poetics Today in 1996. Exile and Creativity will engage a range of readers from those whose specific interests include the problems of displacement and diaspora and the European Holocaust to those whose broad interests include art, literary and cultural studies, history, film, and the nature of human creativity.Contributors. Zygmunt Bauman, Janet Bergstrom, Christine Brooke-Rose, Hélène Cixous, Tibor Dessewffy, Marianne Hirsch, Denis Hollier, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Linda Nochlin, Leo Spitzer, Susan Rubin Suleiman, Thomas Pavel, Doris Sommer, Nancy Huston, John Neubauer, Ernst van Alphen, Alicia Borinsky, Svetlana Boym, Jacqueline Chénieux-Gendron

Read more less

How West African gold and trade across the Sahara were central to the medieval worldThe Sahara Desert was a thriving crossroads of exchange for West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in the medieval period. Fueling this exchange was West African gold, prized for its purity and used for minting currencies and adorning luxury objects such as jewelry, textiles, and religious objects. Caravans made the arduous journey by camel southward across the Sahara carrying goods for trade—glass vessels and beads, glazed ceramics, copper, books, and foodstuffs, including salt, which was obtained in the middle of the desert. Northward, the journey brought not only gold but also ivory, animal hides and leatherwork, spices, and captives from West Africa forced into slavery.Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time draws on the latest archaeological discoveries and art historical research to construct a compelling look at medieval trans-Saharan exchange and its legacy. Contributors from diverse disciplines present case studies that form a rich portrayal of a distant time. Topics include descriptions of key medieval cities around the Sahara; networks of exchange that contributed to the circulation of gold, copper, and ivory and their associated art forms; and medieval glass bead production in West Africa’s forest region. The volume also reflects on Morocco’s Gnawa material culture, associated with descendants of West African slaves, and movements of people across the Sahara today.Featuring a wealth of color images, this fascinating book demonstrates how the rootedness of place, culture, and tradition is closely tied to the circulation of people, objects, and ideas. These “fragments in time” offer irrefutable evidence of the key role that Africa played in medieval history and promote a new understanding of the past and the present.Published in association with the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern UniversityExhibition ScheduleBlock Museum of Art, Northwestern UniversityJanuary 26–July 21, 2019Aga Khan Museum, TorontoSeptember 21, 2019–February 23, 2020Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DCApril 8–November 29, 2020

Read more less

Beginning in January 1692, Salem Village in colonial Massachusetts witnessed the largest and most lethal outbreak of witchcraft in early America. Villagers--mainly young women--suffered from unseen torments that caused them to writhe, shriek, and contort their bodies, complaining of pins stuck into their flesh and of being haunted by specters. Believing that they suffered from assaults by an invisible spirit, the community began a hunt to track down those responsible for the demonic work. The resulting Salem Witch Trials, culminating in the execution of 19 villagers, persists as one of the most mysterious and fascinating events in American history. Historians have speculated on a web of possible causes for the witchcraft that stated in Salem and spread across the region-religious crisis, ergot poisoning, an encephalitis outbreak, frontier war hysteria--but most agree that there was no single factor. Rather, as Emerson Baker illustrates in this seminal new work, Salem was "a perfect storm": a unique convergence of conditions and events that produced something extraordinary throughout New England in 1692 and the following years, and which has haunted us ever since. Baker shows how a range of factors in the Bay colony in the 1690s, including a new charter and government, a lethal frontier war, and religious and political conflicts, set the stage for the dramatic events in Salem. Engaging a range of perspectives, he looks at the key players in the outbreak--the accused witches and the people they allegedly bewitched, as well as the judges and government officials who prosecuted them--and wrestles with questions about why the Salem tragedy unfolded as it did, and why it has become an enduring legacy. Salem in 1692 was a critical moment for the fading Puritan government of Massachusetts Bay, whose attempts to suppress the story of the trials and erase them from memory only fueled the popular imagination. Baker argues that the trials marked a turning point in colonial history from Puritan communalism to Yankee independence, from faith in collective conscience to skepticism toward moral governance. A brilliantly told tale, A Storm of Witchcraft also puts Salem's storm into its broader context as a part of the ongoing narrative of American history and the history of the Atlantic World.

Read more less

'With smoking hot chemistry, next to no angst, and a friend group that is literally squad goals, Rochon has written another winner' - The Dating Playbook is one of Vulture's Best Romances of 2021! If you love Helen Hoang, Abby Jimenez and Talia Hibbert, you'll LOVE Farrah Rochon, whose books are always witty, hot, and engaging (BuzzFeed)!'A total knockout: funny, sexy, and full of heart' Kirkus..................................What happens when three women discover, thanks to the live tweeting of a disastrous date, that they've all been duped by the same man? They become friends of course!It was only supposed to be for one night . . . Successful pediatric surgeon London Kelley just needs to find some balance and de-stress. According to her friends Samiah and Taylor, what London really needs is a casual hookup. A night of fun with no strings. But no one - least of all London - expected it to happen at her high school reunion with Drew Sullivan, millionaire, owner of delicious abs, and oh yes, her archnemesis.Now London is certain the road to hell is paved with good sex. Because she's found out the real reason Drew's back in Austin: to decide whether her beloved hospital remains open. Worse, Drew is doing everything he can to show her that he's a decent guy who actually cares. But London's not falling for it. Because while sleeping with the enemy is one thing, falling for him is definitely not part of the plan...................................Raves for Farrah Rochon:'Relatable and real . . . I smiled the whole time I was reading' Andie J. Christopher'The free-spirited, tell-it-like-it-is page-turner you've been looking for!' Kwana Jackson'A multilayered story about friendship, love, and following your dreams - all of it told with heart and emotion' Nalini Singh'Funny, fresh, sexy, and heartfelt. This is my new favorite romance series' Suzanne Brockmann'A smart, funny digital-age romance about real women living in the real world. Couldn't put it down!' Abby Jimenez'A masterpiece of modern-day Jane Austen with effortless, razor-sharp social commentary, romance, and humor. Farrah Rochon is one of the absolute best romance writers today. Period' Kristan Higgins'Swoon-worthy romance, the power of true friendship, and a grand gesture that makes your heart sigh with pure satisfaction. Absolutely a must-read summer romance!' Priscilla Oliveras'Rochon is a romance master who adeptly writes interesting and dynamic characters . . . A richly layered conflict adds depth and complexity to this charming workplace romance' Kirkus

Read more less

What role do objects play in crafting the religions of Southeast Asia and shaping the experiences of believers? The Spirit of Things explores religious materiality in a region marked by shifting boundaries, multiple beliefs, and trends toward religious exclusivism. While most studies of religion in Southeast Asia focus on doctrines or governmental policy, contributors to this volume recognize that religious "things"—statues, talismans, garments, even sacred automobiles—are crucial to worship, and that they have a broad impact on social cohesion. By engaging with religion in its tangible forms, faith communities reiterate their essential narratives, allegiances, and boundaries, and negotiate their coexistence with competing belief systems. These ethnographic and historical studies of Southeast Asia furnish us with intriguing perspectives on wider debates concerning the challenges of secularization, pluralism, and interfaith interactions around the world. In this volume, contributors offer rich ethnographic analyses of religious practices in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Burma that examine the roles materiality plays in the religious lives of Southeast Asians. These essays demonstrate that religious materials are embedded in a host of practices that enable the faithful to negotiate the often tumultuous experience of living amid other believers. What we see is that the call for plurality, often initiated by government, increases the importance of religious objects, as they are the means by which the distinctiveness of a particular faith is "fenced" in a field of competing religious discourses. This project is called "the spirit of things" to evoke both the "aura" of religious objects and the power of material things to manifest "that which is fundamental" about faith and belief. Contributors: Julius Bautista, National University of Singapore; Sandra Cate, San Jose State University, California; Margaret Chan, Singapore Management University; Liana Chua, Brunel University, London; Cecilia S. de la Paz, University of the Philippines (Diliman); Alexandra de Mersan, Centre Asie du Sud-Est (Paris) and Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales; Johan Fischer, Roskilde University, Denmark; Janet Hoskins, University of Southern California; Klemens Karlsson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm; Laurel Kendall, American Museum of Natural History and Columbia University, New York City; H. Leedom Lefferts, Drew University and Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore; Nguyên Thi Thu Huong, Academic Council of the National Museum of History, Hanoi, and Vietnam Museum of Ethnology; Anthony Reid, Australian National University, University of California–Los Angeles, and National University of Singapore; Richard A. Ruth, United States Naval Academy; Kenneth Sillander, University of Helsinki; Vu Thi Thanh Tâm, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology; and Yeoh Seng Guan, Monash University, Malaysia

Read more less

Despite being America’s most produced bomber, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator has forever flown in the shadow of its more famous and glamorous B-17 rival. The workmanlike B-24 performed multiple unheralded roles in all theatres beyond its also multiple offensive missions, making it the war’s most versatile heavy bomber. Besides its offensive bombing, anti-submarine, and mining missions, the Liberator performed many little known “inoffensive” duties. Undoubtedly the most colourful of all Liberators were the so-called assembly ships of the Groups of the 2nd Air Division. Their unique paint schemes of stripes, polka dots, and checkerboard, were designed to make them ultra-conspicuous for their task of acting as leaders on which a Group formation could assemble their combat formations more quickly for a combat mission The Consolidated F-7 was a photographic reconnaissance version of the B-24 Liberator. The F-7 saw service in most theatres of the war. The long range of the Liberator also made it well suited to mapping missions during the war and post-war. Beginning in early 1944, to aid the Allied liberation of Europe, Carpetbagger B-24s were utilized to parachute spies, called “Joes” or “Janes”, or provide aerial supply of weapons and other matériel to resistance fighters in occupied Europe. Liberators also participated in the dropping of 2.75 billion propaganda leaflets using various techniques and delivery devices. Electronic Warfare played an important part in Allied global pre-invasion plans to discover the location of enemy radars, and, if possible, destroy them. This interception and analysis of an enemy electronic radiation was the origin of present day ELINT (ELectonicINTelligence). Modified RAF B-24D Airborne Electronic Reconnaissance Liberators, codenamed Ferret, were Radio Counter Measures and Electronic Intelligence aircraft that played a major role in European air opera¬tions. During 1942 the AAF became interested in aerial refueling as a means to bombing Japan. A shorter-range B-17E was selected as the receiver aircraft while the more spacious B-24D acted as the tanker. Although these tests were considered to be successful, the availability of longer-ranging B-29s and bases ever closer to Japan diminished the urgency of wartime aerial refueling. During the war, eighty-three B-24s crashed or made forced landings in Switzerland, sixty in Sweden, and several in Russia, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey. Many of these Liberators landed undamaged or were repaired to be flown by these nations. Of particular interest are the six Liberators that were captured and flown by the Luftwaffe. Packed with a unique collection of photographs. Special Operations Consolidated B-24 Liberators reveals the most unusual and little-known facets of the Second World War’s most versatile bomber.

Read more less

'City Style' is a guide to the world's most fashionable cities, curated by their most stylish residents. From the runways of New York and Paris to the streets of Tokyo and the club scene of London, our expert guides give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the local look and how to get it, complete with required reading (magazines and blogs), street style photos and a comprehensive designer guide with photos. In addition, interviews with designers, stylists and other industry insiders answer the question: What makes each city uniquely stylish? REVIEWS: Get schooled in international fashion. We admit it: one of the best parts about travelling is getting to scope out another city's style culture. But sometimes, it's harder than it looks to adopt the fashion sense of a foreign place without seeming like an overeager tourist. In City Style: A Field Guide to Global Fashion Capitals, looking like a (stylish) local is made easy. The guidebook-slash-fashion magazine includes must-see hotspots for cities like New York, Paris, Stockholm, and Sydney. It has tons of pictures, features on up-and-coming stores, and lists of local blogs and magazines. But the book isn't just about shopping. You can also check out interviews with local tastemakers, read about iconic designers, and even brush up on each city's fashion history (for instance, did you know that Prada dates back to 1913 in Milan?). It's the perfect companion for anyone who is travelling to a cool new place and wants to get an insiders look before they go. And even if you're not planning a trip in the near future, who cares? You can still dress the part. --NYLON magazine BOOK CLUB What could be more fun for fashionistas than a guide to the eight fashion capitals of the world? Each city section provides an insider's look at what's in, with an emphasis on useful information for the visitor. As stated in the guide's foreword, 'Like it or not, fashion is the one art form we encounter every day.... All over the world, our clothing says something about who we are in the local visual language...and those symbols change from city to city'; There are listings of required reading (both magazines and blogs), neighbourhoods, and hot spots; designer directories; and lots of illustrative photos. At the end of the list, preceded by New York, Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, Stockholm, and Sydney, Los Angeles gets short shrift (owing, in part, to its non-seasonal climate). Verdict: Although this guide may have limited appeal for most travellers, its comprehensive nature makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in today's world of fashion. -- Janet Ross --Library Journal ILLUSTRATIONS Illustrated throughout

Read more less

'A total delight. Witty and fresh - I absolutely loved it!' MILLY JOHNSONIn the modern tech-fuelled world of dating, is it possible to find true love? Hannah lives life on the edge. Never one to pass up on a new adventure, she has truly been living her best life. But once the adrenaline wears off, she wishes she had someone to spend the quieter moments with too. Learning that her best friend’s online dating business has taken a hit, she comes up with an idea that just might solve both of their problems... Jess has been with her husband for twenty years. They have a stable marriage, great kids and run their own businesses. But what looks like a perfect life from the outside has its own problems within, and with her business on the brink Jess can’t help but wonder where the spark has gone in her life, and whether settling down is all it’s cracked up to be. When Hannah embarks upon her latest scheme: finding a man using Jess’s dating app and meeting him for the first time at the altar, both women start to realise the grass isn't always greener. Can Hannah help her friend save her failing business or will Jess stop her from making what could be the biggest mistake of her life? 'A very funny, feel-good read' HOLLY MILLER‘Fun, feelgood, fab!’ KATE EBERLEN'Refreshing, brilliantly-written and highly addictive! HELLY ACTON'A witty, warm, wonderful read!' SOPHIE COUSENS'Fresh, funny, and wonderfully timely – it's feel-good fiction at its finest!' LAURA JANE WILLIAMS'Funny, feel good and full of warmth, love and friendship' LAURA KEMP'A witty, tender story that packs a real emotional punch. I loved it!' NICOLA GILL‘A heart-warming and joyous page-turner. Impossible to put down!’ HOLLY MARTIN'If you’re looking for a story to make you giggle, shed a few tears and cheer, this is the one!' MIRANDA DICKINSON'Enthralling and entertaining!' HEIDI SWAIN'I couldn’t put it down. What a wonderful, warm, wise and witty book!' ALEX BROWN'Fresh, funny and romantic, I totally loved it' SARAH MORGAN'Fresh, funny, and the perfect tonic for these gloomy times' LIA LOUIS'Witty, fun and fresh, Married at First Swipe is the perfect book to lift your spirits and put a smile on your face' PHAEDRA PATRICK'A fabulously fun, heart-warming novel' ANNA BELL'Heartwarming, insightful and very, very funny' KATIE MARSH

Read more less

Friday, January 6, 2017: On that day, as always, John Brennan’s alarm clock was set to go off at 4:15 a.m. But nothing else about that day would be routine. That day marked his first and only security briefing with President-elect Donald Trump. And it was also the day John Brennan said his final farewell to Owen Brennan, his father, the man who had taught him the lessons of goodness, integrity, and honour that had shaped the course of an unparalleled career serving his country from within the intelligence community. In this brutally honest memoir, Brennan, the son of an Irish immigrant who settled in New Jersey, describes the life that took him from being a young CIA recruit enamoured with the mystique of spy work, secretly defiant enough to drive a motorcycle and sport a diamond earring, and invigorated by his travels in the Middle East to being the most powerful individual in American intelligence. He details his experiences with very different presidents and what it’s been like to bear responsibility for some of the nation’s most crucial and polarising national security decisions. He pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of the Agency, describing the selfless, patriotic, and invisible work of the women and men involved in national security. He also examines the insularity, arrogance, and myopia that have, at times, undermined its reputation in the eyes of the American people and of members of other branches of government. Through topics ranging from George W. Bush’s intervention in Iraq to his thoughts on the CIA’s controversial use of enhanced interrogation techniques to his eye-opening account of the planning of the raid that resulted in Bin Ladin’s death to his realisation that Russia had interfered with the 2016 election, Brennan brings the reader behind the scenes of some of the most crucial moments in recent U.S. history. He also candidly discusses the times he has failed to live up to his own high standards and the very public fallouts that have resulted. With its behind-the-scenes look at how major U.S. national security policies and actions unfolded during his long and distinguished career - especially during his eight years in the Obama administration - John Brennan’s memoir is a work of history with strong implications for the future of America and our country’s relationships with other world powers.

Read more less

In October 1962, when the Soviet Union deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba, the most dangerous confrontation of the Cold War ensued, bringing the world close to the brink of nuclear war. Over two tense weeks, U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev managed to negotiate a peaceful resolution to what was nearly a global catastrophe.Drawing on the best recent scholarship and previously unexamined documents from the archives of the former Soviet Union, this introductory volume examines the motivations and calculations of the major participants in the conflict, sets the crisis in the context of the broader history of the global Cold War, and traces the effects of the crisis on subsequent international and regional geopolitical relations.Selections from twenty primary sources provide firsthand accounts of the frantic deliberations and realpolitik diplomacy between the U.S., the U.S.S.R., and Fidel Castro's Cuban regime; thirteen illustrations are also included.CONTENTS:Introduction: The Making of a global Crisis The Origins of the Cold War A New Front in the Cold War The Cold War in Latin America The Cuban Revolution and the Soviet Union U.S. and Regional Responses to the Cuban Revolution Operation Zapata: The Bay of Pigs Operation Anadyr: Soviet Missiles in Cuba Crisis Dénouement: The Missiles of November Evaluating the Leadership on All Sides of the Crisis Nuclear Fallout: Consequences of the Missile Crisis The Future of Cuban-Soviet Relations Latin American Responses to the Missile Crisis Conclusion: Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis Historiography of the Cuban Missile Crisis Documents Memorandum for McGeorge Bundy from Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., April 10, 1961 State Department White Paper, April 1961 From the Cable on the Conversation between Gromyko and Kennedy, October 18, 1962 Telegram from Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko to the CC CPSU, October 20, 1962 President John F. Kennedy’s speech to the Nation, October 22, 1962 Resolution Adopted by the Council of the Organization of American States Acting Provisionally as the Organ of Consultation, October 23, 1962 Message from Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos to Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós, October 23, 1962 Letter from Khrushchev to John F. Kennedy, October 24, 1962 Telegram from Soviet Ambassador to the USA Dobrynin to the USSR MFA, October 24, 1962 Memorandum for President Kennedy from Douglas Dillon, October 26, 1962 Telegram from Fidel Castro to N.S. Khrushchev, October 26, 1962 Letter from Khrushchev to Fidel Castro, October 28, 1962 Cable from USSR Ambassador to Cuba Alekseev to Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, October 28, 1962 Telegram from Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Kuznetsov and Ambassador to the U.N. Zorin to USSR Foreign Ministry (1), October 30, 1962 Premier Khrushchev’s Letter to Prime Minister Castro, October 30, 1962 Prime Minister Castro’s Letter to Premier Khrushchev, October 31, 1962 Meeting of the Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba with Mikoyan in the Presidential Palace, November 4, 1962 Brazilian Foreign Ministry Memorandum, “Question of Cuba,” November 20, 1968 Letter from Khrushchev to Fidel Castro, January 31, 1963 “I Know Something About the Caribbean Crisis,” Notes from a Conversation with Fidel Castro, November 5, 1987 Select Bibliography

Read more less

A gorgeous, full-color illustrated cookbook and personal cultural history, filled with 100 mouthwatering recipes from around the world, that celebrates the culinary traditions of strong, empowering immigrant women and the remarkable diversity that is American food.Born in Italy, Anna Francese Gass came to the United States as a young child and grew up eating her mother’s Italian cooking. But when this professional cook realized she did not know how to make her family’s beloved meatballs—a recipe that existed only in her mother’s memory—Anna embarked on a project to record and preserve her mother’s recipes for generations to come. In addition to her recipes, Anna’s mother shared stories from her life in Italy that her daughter had never heard before, fascinating tales that whetted Anna’s appetite to learn more. So, Anna began reaching out to her friends whose mothers were also immigrants, and soon she was cooking with dozens of women who were eager to share their unique memories and the foods of their homelands.In Heirloom Kitchen, Anna brings together the stories and dishes of forty strong, exceptional women, all immigrants to the United States, whose heirloom recipes have helped shape the landscape of American food. Organized by region, the 100 tantalizing recipes include: Magda’s Pork Adobo from the Phillippines Shari’s Fesenjoon, a walnut and pomegranate stew, from Iran Tina’s dumplings from Northern China Anna’s mother’s meatballs from Southern Italy In addition to the dishes, these women share their recollections of coming to America—stories of hardship and happiness—that illuminate the power of food, and how cooking became a comfort and a respite in a new land for these women, as well as a tether to their native cultural identities.Accented with 175 photographs, including food shots, old family photographs, and ephemera of the cooks’ first years in America—such as Soon’s recipe book pristinely handwritten in Korean or the measuring cup Anke tucked into her suitcase before leaving Germany—Heirloom Kitchen is a testament to female empowerment and strength, perseverance, diversity, and inclusivity. It is a warm and inspiring reminder that the story of immigrant food is, at its core, a story of America.Profiled women and countries:Gina (Calabria, Italy)Maria (Calabria, Italy)Lisetta (Sardinia, Italy)Kanella (Greece)Stacey (Scotland)Emilia (Ukraine)Tsilia (Ukraine)Marina (Moscow)Bea (Serbia)Monika (Poland)Susanne (Hamburg, Germany)Anke (Berlin, Germany)Tina (North China)Daisy (South China)Chizuko (Japan)Soon (Korea)Magda (Philippines)Lydia (Philippines)Khurshed (India)Shobhana (India)Shari (Iran)Cheri (Iraq)Lucy (Armenia)Irene (Lebanon)Shekaiba (Afghanistan)Fethie (Palestine)Nikita (Haiti)Janet (Mexico)Haydee (Puerto Rico)Rocio (Peru)Angela (Cuba)Maria (Dominican Republic)Morgana (Brazil)Sheila (Panama)Jennipher (Ghana)Safoi (Morocco)Amina (Egypt)

Read more less

The New York Times bestselling autobiography of former Vice President Mike Pence.Loyalty is a Vice President’s first duty; but there is a greater one—to God and the Constitution. Mike Pence spent more hours in the Oval Office than any of his predecessors. On the surface, the affable evangelical Christian from a gas-station-owning family in Indiana wouldn’t seem to have much in common with a brash real estate mogul from New York. But the unlikely duo formed a tight bond. Pence was at Donald Trump’s side when he enacted historic tax relief, when he decided to take more assertive stances toward China and North Korea, and when he appointed three Supreme Court justices. But the relationship broke down after the 2020 election. On January 6, 2021, as the president pressured him to overturn the election, a mob erected a gallows on Capitol Hill and its members chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” as they rampaged through the halls of Congress. The vice president refused to leave the Capitol, and once the riot was quelled, he reconvened Congress to complete the work of a peaceful transfer of power. So Help Me God is the chronicle of the events and people who forged Mike Pence’s character and led him to that historic moment. His father, a Korean War combat veteran, was a formidable influence, but so was the Indiana history professor who inspired his devotion to the Constitution. And it was in college and law school that he embraced his Christian faith and met the love of his life, Karen—the two pillars that support him every day. You will read how his early political career was full of missteps that humbled him and how, as a talk radio host, Pence found his voice and the path that led him to Congress, the governor’s office in Indiana, and back to Washington as vice president. This is the inside story of the Trump administration by its second highest official—what he said to the president and how he was tested. The relationship begins in Indiana, when Pence sees how Trump connects with working-class voters. After the election, the vice president comes to appreciate how Trump maintains that connection through unvarnished tweets and how his unorthodox style led to historic breakthroughs, from tax cuts to trade deals, from establishing the United States Space Force to the first new peace agreement in the Middle East in more than twenty-five years. This is the most robust defense of the Trump record of anyone who served in the administration. But it is also about the private moments when Pence pushed back forcefully, how he navigated through the Mueller investigation, his damage control after Charlottesville, and his work on healing racial rifts after the murder of George Floyd. Pence was at the forefront when “history showed up” in the form of a devastating pandemic, and he provides a detailed account of leading the task force that circumvented bureaucracies to slow the disease in its tracks. Yes, it sometimes involved brokering peace between a president with an itchy Twitter finger and an agitated New York governor, but above all, it meant giving states and America’s eager entrepreneurs the power to come up with the solutions we needed. The result was the fastest development of life-saving vaccines in history. In So Help Me God, Pence shows how the faith that he embraced as a young man guided his every decision. It is a faith that guided him on that historic day and that keeps him happily at peace, ready to accept the next challenge.

Read more less

A landmark work of bio-romanticism, Mephistos and Other Poems is the first completely new collection in five years from legendary Beat and SF Renaissance poet Michael McClure, reflecting his interests in mammal consciousness and ecological survival. The title sequence stems from McClure's ongoing "grafting" experiment, growing new poems from fragments of previously ones. "Some Fringes" is a series of haiku-like nature poems, while the seventeen-part "Rose Breaths" derives from the poet's practice of meditation. The freestanding poems grouped under the title "Being" pay homage to many of McClure's collaborators and fellow travelers like Bruce Conner, Terry Riley, and Dave Haselwood. The book climaxes with "Song Heavy," recounting McClure's recent encounter with a beached whale in Rockport, Massachusetts, and recalling his classic "For the Death of 100 Whales," which he read at the Six Gallery in 1955--the inaugural moment of American eco-poetics. Michael McClure is an award-winning American poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist. After moving from Kansas to San Francisco as a young man, he was one of the five poets who participated in the Six Gallery reading that featured the public debut of Allen Ginsberg's landmark poem "Howl." A key figure of the Beat Generation, McClure is immortalized as Pat McLear in Jack Kerouac's novels The Dharma Bums and Big Sur. He also participated in the sixties counterculture alongside musicians like Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. McClure remains active as a poet, essayist, and playwright and lives with his second wife, Amy, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Michael and I have been twisting the Dharma for twenty years now. He reads his poetry like a mad lion or a hummingbird or a soft evening tidal pool or a wild California thunderstorm...His words are of a new realm of love and joy and terror. What a pleasure to play with such a perceptive artist. It's always been my great joy to make music to his words."--Ray Manzarek [C]ertainly a genius in thought and writing it out ...McClure is one of the few contemporaries to have understood Kerouac as a literary poet--and learned some joyous classic invention therefrom ...Thus we have a McClure poet, a McClure natural philosopher, and a McClure prosateur and novelist. Hardly anyone in America with equal range and sharpness, liveness. What more?"--Allen Ginsberg Praise for Mephistos: In Mephistos we are again thrown into Michael McClure's lavish lair of forceful magic. Its actions are literal ones, handfuls of jewels disintegrate as a firewall rises to a solid prism. There is no poet more adept at calling forth the elements, only to fashion them later as eternal amulets for his readers. 'NEW MOON ((BLACK!)) /STAR CLOUDS/ HALOES/ Flashlight reflects/ into two small eyes.' You will find your body changed through the labyrinth these poems initiate."--Cedar Sigo "Close attention will be rewarded in kind. Keep Mephisto near at hand, read only a poem or two at a time, let the imagery possess you. It's okay, you can trust it. It's McClure: he'll never steer you wrong."--Robert Hunter, lyricist, poet, songwriter "He is such a sweet paradox! Like most of Shelley and the late poems of D.H. Lawrence, McClure turns the phenomenal world inside out, seeking Mind within mind."--Diane di Prima, poet "If you've enjoyed McClure's writings in the past, this volume ought to recapture your poetic heart and rekindle your imagination." --Jonah Raskin, New York Journal of Books "Mephistos is perhaps an open love letter to all of McClure's many fans who have followed him ever since he arrived in San Francisco from Kansas City more than half a century ago."--San Francisco Chronicle

Read more less

A total area of 3.1ha, taking in much of a settlement largely of the earlier Middle Iron Age (c.450 to c.150BC), was excavated in 1998 in advance of development. Two small pit groups, radiocarbon dated to the Middle Bronze Age, produced a bronze dagger and a small pottery assemblage. The Iron Age settlement comprised several groups of roundhouse ring ditches and associated small enclosures forming an open settlement set alongside a linear boundary ditch. Its origin lay in the 5th century BC with a single small roundhouse group. Through the 4th and 3rd centuries BC the settlement expanded with the original structures replaced by a principal roundhouse group accompanied by at least a further two groups of roundhouses and enclosures and minor outlying structures. A group of structures and enclosures set apart from the main domestic area was the focus for copper alloy casting, producing an assemblage of crucibles and fragments from investment moulds for the production of horse fittings, as well as bone, antler and horn working debris. The site also produced good assemblages of pottery and animal bone, an assemblage of saddle querns and a potin coin. The settlement had been abandoned by the middle of the 2nd century BC, although the main boundary ditch survived at least as an earthwork. By the early 1st century AD a series of ditched enclosures were created to the north of the boundary ditch, perhaps a small ladder settlement, which fell out of use soon after the Roman conquest. One enclosure contained two small roundhouses and other curvilinear gullies may have formed animal pens in the corners of two enclosures. This final phase is dated by some Late Iron Age pottery, an Iron Age and a Roman rotary quern, and a small quantity of Roman roof tile. The discussion considers the physical, social and economic structure of the settlement. The distribution of finds around the ring ditches is examined as well as the size of enclosed roundhouses. There is an overview of the Iron Age roundhouse in the Midlands, using well preserved sites as exemplars for the range of evidence that can survive. A typology and chronology for Iron Age pottery is provided, and the date of introduction of the rotary quern is discussed, and the consequent effect on the size of storage jars is examined. Middle Bronze Age pits and a small cremation cemetery, and Late Iron Age to early Roman settlement on the site of the nearby deserted medieval village of Coton are also described. With contributions by Trevor Anderson, Paul Blinkhorn, Pat Chapman, Steve Critchley, Karen Deighton, Tora Hylton, Dennis Jackson, Ivan Mack, Anthony Maull, Gerry McDonnell, Matthew Ponting and Jane Timby. Illustrations by Andy Chapman, Pat Walsh and Mark Roughley.

Read more less

Since he first appeared on the American literary scene, Jerome Charyn has dazzled readers with his “blunt, brilliantly crafted prose” (Washington Post). Yet Charyn, a beloved comedic novelist, also possesses an extraordinary knowledge of Golden Age Hollywood, having taught film history both in the United States and France. With Big Red, Charyn reimagines the life of one of America’s most enduring icons, “Gilda” herself, Rita Hayworth, whose fiery red tresses and hypnotic dancing graced the silver screen over sixty times in her nearly forty-year career. The quintessential movie star of the 1940s, Hayworth has long been objectified as a sex symbol, pin-up girl, and so-called Love Goddess. Here Charyn, channeling the ghosts of a buried past, finally lifts the veils that have long enshrouded Hayworth, evoking her emotional complexity—her passions, her pain, and her inner turmoil. Charyn’s reimagining of Hayworth’s story begins in 1943, in a roomette at the Hollywood Hotel, where narrator Rusty Redburn—an impetuous, second-string gossip columnist from Kalamazoo, Michigan—bides her time between working as a gofer in the publicity offices of Columbia Pictures, volunteering at an indie movie house, and pursuing dalliances with young women on the Sunset Strip. Called upon by the manipulative Columbia movie mogul Harry “The Janitor” Cohn to spy on Hayworth—then, the Dream Factory’s most alluring “dame,” and Cohn’s biggest movie star—Rusty becomes Rita’s confidante, accompanying her on a series of madcap adventures with her indomitable husband, the “boy genius” Orson Welles. But Rusty, an outlaw who can see beyond the prejudices of Hollywood’s male-dominated hierarchy, quickly becomes disgusted with the way actresses, and particularly Rita, are exploited by men. As she struggles to balance the dangerous politics of Tinseltown with her desire to protect Rita from ruffians and journalists alike, Rusty has her own encounters—some sweet, some bruising—with characters real and imagined, from Julie Tanaka, an interned Japanese-American friend, to superstars like Clark Gable and Tallulah Bankhead, as well as notorious Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons. Reanimating such classic films as Gilda and The Lady from Shanghai, Big Red is a bittersweet paean to Hollywood’s Golden Age, a tender yet honest portrait of a time before blockbusters and film franchises—one that promises to consume both Hollywood cinephiles and neophytes alike. Lauded for his “polymorphous imagination” (Jonathan Lethem), Charyn once again has created one of the most inventive novels in recent American literature.

Read more less

The camera loved Marilyn, and she loved it right back. In this luxurious volume, get to know the enigmatic star through iconic and rare photos, intimate stories, and removable memorabilia. Everyone knows the classic photographs of Marilyn Monroe: in the dress she wore to John F. Kennedy’s birthday, or leaning out of a balcony over the streets of New York City, or famously standing over the subway grates while shooting The Seven Year Itch. Behind the glamour, we’ve also heard the sad stories: her mother’s institutionalization, her three failed marriages, her own struggles with mental health, her surprising death that still leaves us with questions.Marilyn Monroe: A Photographic Life delves into the life of the star—before, during, and after she became a “Blonde Bombshell.” Born Norma Jeane Mortenson (the Baker came later), she had a troubled childhood that culminated in her self-described “inferiority complex.” But all the while, she dreamed of something more.Read the stories behind her first marriage (and why she kept it secret when she started modeling), her early roles with the studios (and the one exec who thought she didn’t have “it”), and her life as a budding actress that include humble anecdotes (at one point, she was so poor that she and a roommate shared one pair of high heels—and whoever had a date that night got to wear them). Along with the stories are fabulous rare photographs and reproductions of frameable memorabilia, such as: Birth and marriage certificates Handwritten letters Certificate of conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Arthur Miller Screen Actors Guild membership card Picture of Marilyn sketched by Jane Russell Watercolor Marilyn painted for JFK Childhood photos Shots and ads from her earliest modeling days Wedding photos Images of those who knew her, including Groucho Marx, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and so many more Marilyn’s favorite image of herself, taken in 1956 Further chapters cover Marilyn’s marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, her time in England and New York, and her rise as one of Hollywood’s most sought after starlets. Through it all—the self doubts, the illnesses, the isolation—we see Marilyn triumph with the help of friends and confidantes and her own tenacious will of knowing what she wanted. We see time and again the depths of Marilyn’s heart and her capacity to care for others. “I want to love and be loved more than anything else in the world,” she once said, and with Marilyn Monroe: A Photographic Life, you can’t help but oblige.

Read more less

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY JANET MASLIN, THE NEW YORK TIMES'Victoria the Queen, Julia Baird's exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography, brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch' The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice).The true story for fans of the hit ITV drama series Victoria starring Jenna Coleman, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning book is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience.When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would begin to threaten many of Europe's monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public's expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger parts of the globe. Born into a world where woman were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand.Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother's meddling and an adviser's bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty years old, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and security-queen of a quarter of the world's population at the height of the British Empire's reach.Drawing on sources that include revelations about Victoria's relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings vividly to life the fascinating story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning. This sweeping, page-turning biography gives us the real woman behind the myth.

Read more less

Like many others of my generation, I first read Camus in high school. I carried him in my backpack while traveling across Europe, I carried him into (and out of) relationships, and I carried him into (and out of) difficult periods of my life. More recently, I have carried him into university classes that I have taught, coming out of them with a renewed appreciation of his art. To be sure, my idea of Camus thirty years ago scarcely resembles my idea of him today. While my admiration and attachment to his writings remain as great as they were long ago, the reasons are more complicated and critical.—Robert Zaretsky On October 16, 1957, Albert Camus was dining in a small restaurant on Paris's Left Bank when a waiter approached him with news: the radio had just announced that Camus had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Camus insisted that a mistake had been made and that others were far more deserving of the honor than he. Yet Camus was already recognized around the world as the voice of a generation—a status he had achieved with dizzying speed. He published his first novel, The Stranger, in 1942 and emerged from the war as the spokesperson for the Resistance and, although he consistently rejected the label, for existentialism. Subsequent works of fiction (including the novels The Plague and The Fall), philosophy (notably, The Myth of Sisyphus and The Rebel), drama, and social criticism secured his literary and intellectual reputation. And then on January 4, 1960, three years after accepting the Nobel Prize, he was killed in a car accident. In a book distinguished by clarity and passion, Robert Zaretsky considers why Albert Camus mattered in his own lifetime and continues to matter today, focusing on key moments that shaped Camus's development as a writer, a public intellectual, and a man. Each chapter is devoted to a specific event: Camus's visit to Kabylia in 1939 to report on the conditions of the local Berber tribes; his decision in 1945 to sign a petition to commute the death sentence of collaborationist writer Robert Brasillach; his famous quarrel with Jean-Paul Sartre in 1952 over the nature of communism; and his silence about the war in Algeria in 1956. Both engaged and engaging, Albert Camus: Elements of a Life is a searching companion to a profoundly moral and lucid writer whose works provide a guide for those perplexed by the absurdity of the human condition and the world's resistance to meaning.

Read more less

On a freezing night in January 2013, a hooded assailant hurled acid in the face of the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet. The crime, organized by a lead soloist, dragged one of Russia’s most illustrious institutions into scandal. The Bolshoi Theater had been a crown jewel during the reign of the tsars and an emblem of Soviet power throughout the twentieth century. Under Putin in the twenty-first century, it has been called on to preserve a priceless artistic legacy and mirror Russia’s neo-imperial ambitions. The attack and its torrid aftermath underscored the importance of the Bolshoi to the art of ballet, to Russia, and to the world. The acid attack resonated far beyond the world of ballet, both into Russia’s political infrastructure and, as renowned musicologist Simon Morrison shows in his tour-de-force account, the very core of the Bolshoi’s unparalleled history. With exclusive access to state archives and private sources, Morrison sweeps us through the history of the storied ballet, describing the careers of those onstage as well as off, tracing the political ties that bind the institution to the varying Russian regimes, and detailing the birth of some of the best-loved ballets in the repertoire. From its disreputable beginnings in 1776 at the hand of a Faustian charlatan, the Bolshoi became a point of pride for the tsarist empire after the defeat of Napoleon in 1812. After the revolution, Moscow was transformed from a merchant town to a global capital, its theater becoming a key site of power. Meetings of the Communist Party were hosted at the Bolshoi, and the Soviet Union was signed into existence on its stage. During the Soviet years, artists struggled with corrosive censorship, while ballet joined chess tournaments and space exploration as points of national pride and Cold War contest. Recently, a $680 million restoration has restored the Bolshoi to its former glory, even as prized talent has departed. As Morrison reveals in lush and insightful prose, the theater has been bombed, rigged with explosives, and reinforced with cement. Its dancers have suffered unimaginable physical torment to climb the ranks, sometimes for so little money that they kept cows at home whose milk they could sell for food. But the Bolshoi has transcended its own fraught history, surviving 250 years of artistic and political upheaval to define not only Russian culture but also ballet itself. In this sweeping, definitive account, Morrison demonstrates once and for all that, as Russia goes, so goes the Bolshoi Ballet.

Read more less

What role do objects play in crafting the religions of Southeast Asia and shaping the experiences of believers? The Spirit of Things explores religious materiality in a region marked by shifting boundaries, multiple beliefs, and trends toward religious exclusivism. While most studies of religion in Southeast Asia focus on doctrines or governmental policy, contributors to this volume recognize that religious "things"—statues, talismans, garments, even sacred automobiles—are crucial to worship, and that they have a broad impact on social cohesion. By engaging with religion in its tangible forms, faith communities reiterate their essential narratives, allegiances, and boundaries, and negotiate their coexistence with competing belief systems. These ethnographic and historical studies of Southeast Asia furnish us with intriguing perspectives on wider debates concerning the challenges of secularization, pluralism, and interfaith interactions around the world. In this volume, contributors offer rich ethnographic analyses of religious practices in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Burma that examine the roles materiality plays in the religious lives of Southeast Asians. These essays demonstrate that religious materials are embedded in a host of practices that enable the faithful to negotiate the often tumultuous experience of living amid other believers. What we see is that the call for plurality, often initiated by government, increases the importance of religious objects, as they are the means by which the distinctiveness of a particular faith is "fenced" in a field of competing religious discourses. This project is called "the spirit of things" to evoke both the "aura" of religious objects and the power of material things to manifest "that which is fundamental" about faith and belief. Contributors: Julius Bautista, National University of Singapore; Sandra Cate, San Jose State University, California; Margaret Chan, Singapore Management University; Liana Chua, Brunel University, London; Cecilia S. de la Paz, University of the Philippines (Diliman); Alexandra de Mersan, Centre Asie du Sud-Est (Paris) and Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales; Johan Fischer, Roskilde University, Denmark; Janet Hoskins, University of Southern California; Klemens Karlsson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm; Laurel Kendall, American Museum of Natural History and Columbia University, New York City; H. Leedom Lefferts, Drew University and Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore; Nguyên Thi Thu Huong, Academic Council of the National Museum of History, Hanoi, and Vietnam Museum of Ethnology; Anthony Reid, Australian National University, University of California–Los Angeles, and National University of Singapore; Richard A. Ruth, United States Naval Academy; Kenneth Sillander, University of Helsinki; Vu Thi Thanh Tâm, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology; and Yeoh Seng Guan, Monash University, Malaysia

Read more less

When a university student is murdered in Dunedin’s university district, newly transferred young female police officer Sam Shephard is drawn into the investigation … The heart-stoppingly tense next instalment in the page-turning, international bestselling Sam Shephard series ‘Finally, UK readers get to discover New Zealand’s own Queen of Crime. Vanda Symon is a big talent and everything she writes is fast, intelligent and utterly gripping. This one’s a cracker’ Liam McIlvanney ‘Fast-moving New Zealand procedural … the Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly’ Ian Rankin ‘It is Symon’s copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the writer’s real achievement’ Guardian ‘Antipodean-set crime is riding high thanks to the likes of Jane Harper and fans of The Dry will also love Vanda Symon’s The Ringmaster’ Red Magazine –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Death is stalking the South Island of New Zealand Marginalised by previous antics, Sam Shephard, is on the bottom rung of detective training in Dunedin, and her boss makes sure she knows it. She gets involved in her first homicide investigation, when a university student is murdered in the Botanic Gardens, and Sam soon discovers this is not an isolated incident. There is a chilling prospect of a predator loose in Dunedin, and a very strong possibility that the deaths are linked to a visiting circus… Determined to find out who’s running the show, and to prove herself, Sam throws herself into an investigation that can have only one ending… Rich with atmosphere, humour and a dark, shocking plot, The Ringmaster marks the return of passionate, headstrong police officer, Sam Shephard, in the next instalment of Vanda Symon’s bestselling series. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ‘An absolute must-have’ Daily Express ‘A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist’ Kate Mosse ‘Vanda Symon is part of a new wave of Kiwi crime writers … her talent for creating well-rounded characters permeates throughout’ Crime Watch ‘Lively evocation of small-town life, with a plot that grabs the reader’s attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn’t let go’ The Times ‘An absolute beauty of a read, well-written, absorbing, and extremely enjoyable’ LoveReading ‘Fast-moving New Zealand procedural … the Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly’ Ian Rankin ‘Full of action and plenty of plot twists, but the star of the show is always the small but mighty Sam Shephard. With her dry sense of humor, indomitable spirit, and constant need to prove herself, Sam is the perfect heroine to root for … Atmospheric, emotional, and gripping’ Foreword Reviews ‘Symon follows up the terrific Overkill (2019) with this equally absorbing story … A fine thriller by a writer who deserves a larger audience in the US’ Booklist

Read more less

James Stewart was already a Hollywood star when the United States went to war in December 1941\. Having received an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1940 for his role in The Philadelphia Story, he had become a familiar face to movie goers by the time that the Japanese struck at Pearl Harbor. By that time Jimmy' had already received his private pilot's licence and when his name was drawn by the Drafting Commission on 29 October 1940, he applied to join the US Army Air Corps. He continued his pilot training and just twelve days before he received his draft, he had obtained his commercial pilot's licence. It was on 18 January 1942, that the Hollywood star was called into active duty. Jimmy was transferred to the 929th Bombardier Training School, based at Kirtland Field in New Mexico, on 19 August 1942\. There he served as a pilot almost until the end of the year. Though his film company had managed to secure a static personnel' role, Jimmy was determined to fly in combat. So it was that Captain James Maitland Stewart was appointed as the Commander of the 703rd Bombardment Squadron. Finally, on 17 November 1943, he landed in the UK and his operational war began. Flying in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Jimmy undertook his first bombing mission on 13 December 1943, the target on this occasion being the German U-boat facilities at Kiel. Just seven days later he was once again sent to attack a target in Germany, this time the port of Bremen. A further eighteen missions followed over the following fifteen months. Stewart took part in raids against targets across Germany, including Berlin, all of which are analysed in detail along with a fabulous collection of photographs of the aircraft Jimmy flew and the men he flew with. His contribution to victory over Germany was not confined to flying B-24 bombers, He also functioned as an Operations Officer for a period and led the Liberators of the 2nd Combat Bomb Wing to an attack on the railway marshalling yards at Halle from the navigator's seat of a de Haviland Mosquito. James Stewart rose to the rank of major from private in just four years, an achievement few can claim. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions as deputy commander of the 2nd Bombardment Wing, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. The French bestowed him with the Croix de Guerre with palm. Having risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel, James Stewart returned to the silver screen after the war. He continued to play a role in the Army Air Forces reserve, during which period he was promoted to brigadier general. In so doing, Stewart became the highest-ranking actor in American military history.

Read more less

War was coming. Everyone knew that confrontation with Nazi Germany was inevitable and that London was likely to be a prime target of Hitler's bombers. So, in January 1939, Aylmer Firebrace, the Chief Officer of London Fire Brigade, was seconded to the Home Office to plan for the capital's fire defence. Before joining the Fire Brigade, Aylmer Firebrace had been a Royal Navy officer who had fought in the Battle of Jutland during the First World War. It was following the Armistice that, in 1919, he became principal officer in the London Fire Brigade. He was promoted to deputy chief and finally chief officer in June 1938.. That war struck London soon enough, but it was on 7 September 1940, that Firebrace's preparations were truly tested with the start of the Blitz. For the next fifty-seven days and nights London was subjected to the longest continuous bombing campaign in history. Then, as the Luftwaffe ranged wider and further across Britain's towns and cities, Firebrace was tasked with toured the nation to see the effects of the bombing, at which point he saw the need for a national response. The result was the creation of the National Fire Service. Formed in August 1941, by the amalgamation of some 1,600 separate brigades, this remarkable organisation had, at its peak, a strength of 370,000 men and women. It was led for its entire existence by Aylmer Firebrace. As the war continued, Firebrace became Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief of the Fires Services, being the first and, to date, only person to head all the fire-fighting services in Britain. This body had to deal with the expansion of the Blitz as well as the so-called 'Baedeker' raids, the 'tip-and-run' attacks, Baby Blitz and V1 and V2 offensives of the later years of the war. In his fascinating account, written immediately the war, Firebrace reflects on the functioning of the fire service at its most testing time. This book is an essential addition to the understanding of the Blitz and how London and the rest of the country survived its darkest hour.

Read more less

These poems tell of a continuing journey and reveal a subtly changing voice. They represent a consistent and rewarding attempt to hold together in one space the things that matter. This is seeking first the kingdom of God; maintaining the community of men and women who incarnate that kingdom and make life meaningful; the beauties of St Lucia’s natural world and its rich traditions of folkculture; and the challenges and demands of poetry.John Robert Lee’s Collected Poems tell both of a continuing journey and a subtly changing voice but also of an underlying, consistent attempt to hold together in one space the things that matter. This is seeking first the kingdom of God; maintaining the community of men and women who incarnate that kingdom and make life meaningful; the beauties of St Lucia’s natural world and its rich traditions of folk-culture; and the challenges and demands of poetry.Whilst sometimes Lee’s poems involve a quiet self-communing, more often they are conversations with God and with those people who are close to him. At points they rise to being canticles of praise that express the experience of, or the yearning for the transcendent through the imagery of the visible world. And whilst the poems connect to the wider world of travel and world affairs, their touchstone is always St Lucia. Like Derek Walcott, like Kendel Hippolyte, Jane King and now Vladimir Lucien, John Robert Lee’s poems demonstrate how possible it is to find an enriching, puzzlingly complex and intellectually stimulating world in a small island society.The journey the poems tell is from the young man enthused with the energy of the radical decolonizing spirit of the 1970s, the years of deepening of Christian faith to the present of maturity and the acceptance of loss as well as gain, and the stamina needed for the continuing struggle for St Lucia to emerge from its colonial past and be ever more itself. In the later poems there are more glimpses of the private man who recognises that “My heart holds rooms I’ve never entered/ doors concealed, secret entrances.” And whilst over the forty years of the poems one hears always a personal, signal voice, over time the poems increasingly invest in the Kweyol language of the St Lucian folk as well as the voice of the English master and, latterly, display an growing interest in the relationship between poetry and the visual arts.

Read more less

The American Mayor offers a unique ranking of the nation's big-city mayors by expert scholars. Although the mayoralty is one of the most important political executive offices, it has escaped the kind of evaluations by which scholars have ranked American presidents. Now, thanks to Melvin Holli, we have a comparable survey of the "best" and "worst" mayors, covering some 730 mayors from the big-fifteen cities, from the beginning of the modern office in 1820 to the 1990s. The poll of historians, biographers, and social scientists produced a remarkably strong consensus. Who were our best mayors? The list ranges from Boston's "Great Mayor" Josiah Quincy (1823–1828) to New York City's Fiorello La Guardia (1934–1945), who is first on the all-time-best list. La Guardia, a stouthearted fireplug of a man, built modern New York, fought Murder Incorporated, read the comics to children over the air during a newspaper strike, and was a symbol of ethnic probity and honesty. Sandwiched between Quincy and La Guardia are several other outstanding mayors, including Cleveland's Tom Johnson (1901–1909), Pittsburgh's David Lawrence (1946–1959), Detroit's Hazen Pingree (1890–1897), and Los Angeles's Tom Bradley (1973–1993).Taking the first-worst prize among scoundrel mayors is Chicago's William H. "Big Bill" Thompson (1915–1923, 1927–1931), one of the most colorful mayors in the city's history, if not the most corrupt. Big Bill, also known as "Kaiser Bill" for his pro-German stand during World War I, accepted campaign funds from gangsters including Al Capone. Also among the "worst" is another Chicago mayor, Jane Byrne (1979–1983), the only woman on the list. Jersey City's Frank Hague (1917–1947) and Philadelphia's Frank Rizzo (1972–1980) are among the other notable rascals who have sat in city halls.The American Mayor presents complete findings of Holli's poll in jargon-free fashion. Holli explains the results of the survey, gives biographical sketches of the ten best mayors, as well as some attention to the worst, and then uses the findings of modern leadership studies to explore mayoral success and failure. He concludes with a chapter titled "Pathways to Power," in which he reviews the New York City political milieu that produced the nation's "best" mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, and also examines the career of the nation's most successful big-city mayor, Buffalo's Grover Cleveland, the only mayor to become president of the United States.

Read more less

Central to the repertoire of Western art music since the 18th century, the symphony has come to be regarded as one of the ultimate compositional challenges. Surprisingly, heretofore there has been no truly extensive, broad-based treatment of the genre, and the best of the existing studies are now several decades old. In this five-volume series, A. Peter Brown explores the symphony from its 18th-century beginnings to the end of the 20th century. Synthesizing the enormous scholarly literature, Brown presents up-to-date overviews of the status of research, discusses any important former or remaining problems of attribution, illuminates the style of specific works and their contexts, and samples early writings on their reception. The Symphonic Repertoire provides an unmatched compendium of knowledge for the student, teacher, performer, and sophisticated amateur. The series is being launched with two volumes on the Viennese symphony.Volume IV The Second Golden Age of the Viennese SymphonyBrahms, Bruckner, Dvorák, Mahler, and Selected ContemporariesAlthough during the mid-19th century the geographic center of the symphony in the Germanic territories moved west and north from Vienna to Leipzig, during the last third of the century it returned to the old Austrian lands with the works of Brahms, Bruckner, Dvorák, and Mahler. After nearly a half century in hibernation, the sleeping Viennese giant awoke to what some viewed as a reincarnation of Beethoven with the first hearing of Brahms's Symphony No. 1, which was premiered at Vienna in December 1876. Even though Bruckner had composed some gigantic symphonies prior to Brahms's first contribution, their full impact was not felt until the composer's complete texts became available after World War II. Although Dvorák was often viewed as a nationalist composer, in his symphonic writing his primary influences were Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. For both Bruckner and Mahler, the symphony constituted the heart of their output; for Brahms and Dvorák, it occupied a less central place. Yet for all of them, the key figure of the past remained Beethoven. The symphonies of these four composers, together with the works of Goldmark, Zemlinsky, Schoenberg, Berg, Smetana, Fibich, Janácek, and others are treated in Volume IV, The Second Golden Age of the Viennese Symphony, covering the period from roughly 1860 to 1930.

Read more less

Over the course of the last few years, our healthcare system has begun a shift toward rewarding physicians for the quality of care rather than the quantity, and building off these efforts, providers, doctors, health systems, and payers are willing to explore new value-based arrangements and open the door to providing new benefits for their beneficiaries. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act began to shift Medicare towards being a more value-based payment system. Chapter 1 discusses the models that are working toward improve the quality of care and reducing cost. Total expenditures for the Medicare Part D drug program exceeded $100 billion in 2016. Part D plan sponsors may use a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) to provide drug benefit management services for Part D coverage, such as negotiating drug rebates and other price concessions and paying pharmacy claims. Policymakers have sought a better understanding of PBMs' roles in the drug supply chain and plans' and PBMs' efforts to manage Part D drug spending and use. Chapter 2 examines, (1) the extent to which Part D plan sponsors use PBMs, (2) trends in rebates and other price concessions obtained by both PBMs and plan sponsors for Part D drugs, and (3) how PBMs earn revenue for services provided to Part D plans. The Social Security Act requires boards of trustees to issue reports to Congress by April 1 each year on the financial status of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Chapter 3 (1) describes how the boards of trustees develop the annual Trustees reports, and (2) examines the extent to which the boards of trustees have provided the reports to Congress by the April 1 deadline, and what factors account for any delays. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a competitive bidding program (CBP) for certain durable medical equipment (DME), such as wheelchairs and oxygen. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required CMS to adjust fee-for-service payment rates for certain DME items in non-bid areas. On January 1, 2016, adjusted rates for 393 items went into effect in non-bid areas. Chapter 4 examines (1) payment rate reductions and any changes in the number of suppliers; (2) any changes in the utilization of rate-adjusted items; and (3) available evidence related to potential changes in beneficiaries' access to rate-adjusted items.

Read more less

So, you want to experience the ultimate overseas adventure? Whether you're a gap year student or young traveller, taking a sabbatical or career break, a parent or guardian wanting to travel with your children, or in retirement and looking for your next adventure - The Big Trip is for you. Advice and information in this comprehensive companion, now in its 4th edition, has been thoroughly revised and updated to include expert tips and recommendations that will help you create and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime dream adventure abroad. We've also added a new section about how to use your time away to turn your life's passion into a new career, with advice on gaining professional accreditation in climbing, mountaineering, diving, sailing, snowsports, wildlife guiding and more. There's also a chapter on accessible travel by Martin Heng for specialist destination and travel advice for those with a disability. Improved accommodation advice now covers everything from cheap and cheerful digs for budget backpackers to higher-end hotels for those wishing to spend more. Experiences include: Blackwater rafting through eerie glow-worm-lit Waitomo Caves in New Zealand Attempting a Tibetan kora (pilgrimage) around Mt Kailash, Asia's most sacred mountain Surfing your way along Hawaii's best beach breaks Getting down and dirty at the Boryeong Mud Festival in Korea Discovering your top temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia Volunteering on a marine conservation project off the coast of Madagascar Learning to speak Italian at an institute in the heart of Rome Stirring your soul along the sacred, ghat-lined Ganges in Varanasi, India Learning to make Balinese dishes worthy of paradise Climbing to Bhutan's iconic cliff-clinging monastery, Taktshang Goemba Taking a tandem hang-gliding flight from Pedra Bonita over Rio de Janeiro Qualifying to teach everything from English to skiing, diving and mountaineering The Big Trip is your ticket to all this and more: Essential pre-trip planning: health, safety, kit, costs, tickets (new tips such as five apps to keep you safe, nine best ways to save on air tickets online) Volunteering and working abroad: from freelancing and fruit picking to yacht-crewing and teaching Regional overviews, maps and a diverse range of road-tested itineraries Tips and stories from experts and travellers, who range from teenagers to seniors and those travelling with their kids Comprehensive directory of essential resources 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.

Read more less