Search results for ""author leo"

Promoting and underlining the importance of structural thinking, Structural Systems: Behaviour and Design will provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of a wide range of structural systems based on the load-carrying mechanisms involved. Bringing together a wide array of structural types and covering the behaviour and design of both steel and reinforced concrete (prestressing inclusive), the author employs an integrated qualitative and quantitative approach to the examination of each structural element. Topics are introduced in a logical manner and treated in a predominantly practical way, building on concepts discussed and explained in previous chapters, providing readers with a sound understanding of the universal principles of structural behaviour, thus enabling them to apply safe conceptual and preliminary designs, whatever design codes they are working with. Volume 1 provides readers with the fundamental concepts, predominantly focusing on plane structural systems, including beams, frames, arches and cable structures. Supported throughout with illustrative diagrams, readers of all levels of experience will find this an accessible and authoritative text, enabling a solid understanding of structural behaviour without dependence on computer-generated models.

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Six authors, all of whom have been associated with the Center of International Studies at Princeton University, take the occasion of the twentyfifth anniversary of the United Nations to reexamine the UN's role and work in the world today and to anticipate its future. Chapters ranging from the theoretical to the detailed and practical include "The United Nations and the International System," by Oran R. Young; "The United Nations and the League," by Stanley Michalak; "An Inquiry into the Successes and Failures of the United Nations General Assembly," by Gabriella Rosner Lande; "International Organization and Internal Conflicts," by Linda Miller; "The United Nations and Economic and Social Change," by Leon Gordenker; and "The United Nations: Various Systems of Organization," by Richard A. Falk. Originally published in 1971. 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.

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Tech in her veins. Anarchy in her blood.In the City, they have it all - sunlight, a corp job, a corpbloc home miles above the poisoned earth below.Four-hundred storeys down, in the darkness of the undercity slums, lives sixteen-year-old orphan Nova.Nova is a hacker. Aided by the program Phantom, she can sneak up to the City, leech what she needs and sink back down again, invisible as a ghost.But Nova has caught someone's eye, and that's Phantom-creator and legendary anti-corp hacker the Moth. Now the Moth has a job for Nova. A job that will send her miles into the sky. To bring the City crashing down.***An explosive futuristic fantasy from the author of Thirteen Days of Midnight, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award.

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Virtually all significant relationships are shadowed by a third party-another person, a competing distraction, or even a memory. This groundbreaking book provides clinicians with a hands-on guide to working with many different kinds of relationship triangles in therapy with families, couples, and individuals. The authors show why triangles come into being, how to predict their evolving nature, and how they can be dealt with and resolved in treatment. A wealth of clinical case material and treatment suggestions illustrates how thinking in terms of threes, as well as individuals and dyads, can greatly increase therapeutic flexibility and effectiveness. The paperback edition includes a new series editor's note by Michael P. Nichols.

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From the author of Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel, The Glass Hotel is the story of the lives caught up in two very different tragedies: a woman disappearing from a container ship, and a massive Ponzi scheme imploding in New York.'Terrific' – Sunday Times'Elegant, haunting' – The Times'A damn fine novel . . . evocative and immersive' – George R. R. MartinVincent is the beautiful bartender at the exclusive Hotel Caiette. When New York financier Jonathan Alkaitis walks into the hotel and hands her his card, it is the beginning of their life together.That same night, a hooded figure scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: ‘Why don’t you swallow broken glass.’ Leon Prevant, a shipping executive, sees the note from the hotel bar and is shaken to his core.When Alkaitis's investment fund is revealed to be a Ponzi scheme, Leon loses his retirement savings in the fallout, but Vincent seemingly walks away unscathed. Until, a decade later, she disappears from the deck of one of Leon's ships . . .

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HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. How did the leopard get its spots? Why do the tides ebb and flow? How did the elephant get its trunk? And how was the alphabet made? Rudyard Kipling’s classic collection of fables answers the great questions of animal- and humankind in a fun, eloquent and magical way – for children and adults alike. Kipling’s beautifully imaginative answers echo the animal fables he heard during his childhood in India, paired with the folk tales he collected throughout his life. Kipling’s enjoyment in playing with language, as well as his own delight in fatherhood, makes these stories a joy to read aloud, and children will request these tales as bedtime stories again and again. However, adults will also revel in Kipling’s fanciful storytelling and gift for language, as every reading uncovers a new joke, subtext or fascinating embellishment. From the author of ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Kim’, ‘Just So Stories’ is the newest addition to the available canon of Kipling’s work available in the handy format of Collins Classics!

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Renowned embroiderer and best-selling author, Hazel Blomkamp, is back with a brand new book in the popular Crewel series. In this fifth title in Hazel Blomkamp’s series on crewel embroidery with a twist, the focus is on animal portraits. Crewel Animal Portraits is a celebration of Hazel’s signature techniques: a wide variety of surface/crewel stitches, some of which are brand new, and many with a different take, or different ways of combining stitches to make them more interesting. Also included are needle lace techniques used as embroidery stitches, loom weaving techniques modified for embroidery, and unique combinations of both of these. The incorporation of beads and crystals adds even more dazzle to the intricate designs. There are six projects, each explained with detailed step-by-step instructions and clear photographs, with design templates and a full stitch gallery providing everything readers need to recreate them with ease. The sumptuous and inspiring projects comprise a tiger, lion, zebra, giraffe, monkey and leopard. For embroiderers looking for something different and new to stitch, and for those keen to challenge themselves with more complex embroidery techniques, this book is a must-have.

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Book band: Turquoise (Ideal for ages 6+) A hilarious story, ideal for children practising reading at home or in school. By Joanna Nadin, author of the World Book Day book The Worst Class in the World in Danger. Manjit is going to his new friend Leon’s house for tea. There’s lots to be worried about… What if they have a scary dog? What if Leon’s dad is a dragon? But worst of all, what if they’re having pancakes for tea! This relatable comedy about new friendships from prolific children’s writer Joanna Nadin is perfect for Key Stage 1 (KS1) children who are learning to read by themselves. It features lively colour illustrations by Ana Gómez, and a storyline that encourages picky eaters to try new foods. _______________ Bloomsbury Young Readers are the perfect way to get children reading, with book-banded stories by brilliant authors like Julia Donaldson. The series is ideal for both home and school, with gorgeous colour illustrations, tips for parents, and fun activity ideas. Online guided reading and teaching notes, written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), are available at bloomsburyreaders.com. 'Every child needs a Bloomsbury Young Reader.' - Julie-Ann McCulloch, Teacher

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The Philosopher's English King offers a close reading of the Henriad, presenting Shakespeare's teaching on political authority and contributing to the burgeoning scholarship on Shakespeare as a political thinker. This book on Shakespeare's Henriad studies the tetralogy as a work of political thought. Leon Harold Craig, author of two previous volumes on Shakespeare's political thought, argues that the four plays present Shakespeare'steaching on the problem of legitimacy, or who has the right to rule -- one of the perennial questions of political philosophy. Offering original interpretations of each of the plays, Craig discusses the demise of divine right inRichard II, political upheaval and disputed rule in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and the attempt to reestablish legitimacy on a new basis in Henry V. While focusing especially on the plays' various interpretive puzzles,Craig shows how the four plays constitute one narrative, culminating in the rule of England's most famous warrior king, Henry V, whose brilliant achievements were undone by ill fortune. Craig concludes with an epilogue on what might have been had Henry lived to consolidate his conquest of France and unify it with England under a single crown. Supported by a wealth of scholarship, both historical and critical, The Philosopher's English King makes a major contribution to the burgeoning scholarship on Shakespeare as a political thinker, providing further evidence for why the poet deserves to be recognized as a philosopher in his own right. Leon Harold Craig is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alberta.

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Beneath the Killing Fields of the Western Front still lies a hidden landscape of industrialised conflict virtually untouched since 1918. This subterranean world is an ambiguous environment filled with material culture that that objectifies the scope and depth of human interaction with the diverse conflict landscapes of modern war. Covering the military reasoning for taking the war underground, as well as exploring the way that human beings interacted with these extraordinary alien environments, this book provides a more all-encompassing overview of the Western Front. The underground war was intrinsic to trench warfare and involved far more than simply trying to destroy the enemy's trenches from below. It also served as a home to thousands of men, protecting them from the metallic landscapes of the surface.With the aid of cutting edge fieldwork conducted by the author in these subterranean locales, this book combines military history, archaeology and anthropology together with primary data and unique imagery of British, French, German and American underground defences in order to explore the realities of subterranean warfare on the Western Front, and the effects on the human body and mind that living and fighting underground inevitably entailed.

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'no one pitied him as he would have liked to be pitied' As Ivan Ilyich lies dying he begins to re-evaluate his life, searching for meaning that will make sense of his sufferings. In 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' and the other works in this volume, Tolstoy conjures characters who, tested to the limit, reveal glorious and unexpected reserves of courage or baseness of a near inhuman kind. Two vivid parables and 'The Forged Coupon', a tale of criminality, explore class relations after the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 and the connection between an ethical life and worldly issues. In 'Master and Workman' Tolstoy creates one of his most gripping dramas about human relationships put to the test in an extreme situation. 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' is an existential masterpiece, a biting satire that recounts with extraordinary power the final illness and death of a bourgeois lawyer. In his Introduction Andrew Kahn explores Tolstoy's moral concerns and the stylistic features of these late stories, sensitively translated by Nicolas Pasternak Slater. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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Volume IV continues the author's odyssey on l-D cellular automata as chronicled in Volumes I, II and III, by uncovering a novel quasi-ergodicity phenomenon involving orbits meandering among omega-limit orbits of complex (group 5) and hyper (group 6) Bernoulli rules. This discovery is embellished with analytical formulas characterizing the fractal properties of characteristic functions, as well as explicit formulas for generating colorful and pedagogically revealing isomorphic basin tree diagrams. Many new results were derived and proved by uncovering subtle symmetries endowed by various subsets of the 256 Boolean cubes. For the first time, rigorous analyses were used to identify 67, out off 256, local rules whose asymptotic behaviors consist of robust period-l orbits. The highlight of this continuing odyssey is the discovery of an isolated period-3240 Isle of Eden hidden among the dense omega-limit orbits of Wolfram's remarkable “random number generating” rule 30. This is the largest gem known to-date and readers are challenged to uncover even larger ones.

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A comprehensive guide to ranks and group theory Ranks of Groups features a logical, straightforward presentation, beginning with a succinct discussion of the standard ranks before moving on to specific aspects of ranks of groups. Topics covered include section ranks, groups of finite 0-rank, minimax rank, special rank, groups of finite section p-rank, groups having finite section p-rank for all primes p, groups of finite bounded section rank, groups whose abelian subgroups have finite rank, groups whose abelian subgroups have bounded finite rank, finitely generated groups having finite rank, residual properties of groups of finite rank, groups covered by normal subgroups of bounded finite rank, and theorems of Schur and Baer. This book presents fundamental concepts and notions related to the area of ranks in groups. Class-tested worldwide by highly qualified authors in the fields of abstract algebra and group theory, this book focuses on critical concepts with the most interesting, striking, and central results. In order to provide readers with the most useful techniques related to the various different ranks in a group, the authors have carefully examined hundreds of current research articles on group theory authored by researchers around the world, providing an up-to-date, comprehensive treatment of the subject. • All material has been thoroughly vetted and class-tested by well-known researchers who have worked in the area of rank conditions in groups • Topical coverage reflects the most modern, up-to-date research on ranks of groups • Features a unified point-of-view on the most important results in ranks obtained using various methods so as to illustrate the role those ranks play within group theory • Focuses on the tools and methods concerning ranks necessary to achieve significant progress in the study and clarification of the structure of groups Ranks of Groups: The Tools, Characteristics, and Restrictions is an excellent textbook for graduate courses in mathematics, featuring numerous exercises, whose solutions are provided. This book will be an indispensable resource for mathematicians and researchers specializing in group theory and abstract algebra. MARTYN R. DIXON, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Alabama. LEONID A. KURDACHENKO, PhD, DrS, is Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Algebra at the University of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. IGOR YA SUBBOTIN, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at National University in Los Angeles, California.

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New edition, including a new introduction by the author, of this inspiring guide to developing your full potential. A perfect buy for the business market as well as those wishing to explore their power of their brain, this book shows you how to imitate Leonardo Da Vinci’s thought processes and so enhance your aptitude in every area of your life. Learn how to fulfill your true potential by developing the thought processes used by Renaissance master Leonardo Da Vinci. Simply by imitating his insatiable quest for information and experience, we can all enhance our own aptitude in all facets of our lives. Michael Gelb discusses the seven fundamental elements of Da Vinci’s thought process and offers practical ways to incorporate them into our own lives. The techniques outlined in the book help readers to develop the same traits of whole-brain thinking, creative problem solving and continuous learning, all of which are vital in today’s world. Numerous exercises, anecdotes and illustrations help readers to master these techniques and create a personal and professional renaissance of their very own.

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This volume brings together cutting-edge research on modern Spanish women as writers, activists, and embodiments of cultural change, and simultaneously honors Maryellen Bieder’s invaluable scholarly contribution to the field. The essays are innovative in their consideration of lesser-known women writers, focus on women as political activists, and use of post-colonialism, queer theory, and spatial theory to examine the period from the Enlightenment until World War II. The contributors study women as agents and representations of social change in a variety of genres, including short stories, novels, plays, personal letters, and journalistic pieces. Canonical authors such as Emilia Pardo Bazán, Leopoldo Alas “Clarín,” and Carmen de Burgos are considered alongside lesser known writers and activists such as María Rosa Gálvez, Sofía Tartilán, and Caterina Albert i Paradís. The critical analyses are situated within their specific socio-historical context, and shed new light on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Spanish literature, history, and culture. Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.

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Volume 162 opens with an assessment of the modern available data, as well as the results from the authors' own research, on the neurotropic effects of amino acid L-arginine. The effects of L-arginine and some arginine-containing oligopeptides on pain and pain-induced behavior in rats are examined. Depending on their binding to activate specific receptors, antagonists have selective functions. As such, this compilation details their specificity, mode of interactions and their usefulness and drawbacks for humans. Next, a review on how CD14 interacts with different ligands is discussed, particularly focusing on how CD14 consequently transduces the signaling to induce some relevant diseases. The authors also review some trends in the treatment of anxiety with natural compounds and transition metal-catalyzed couplings for the synthesis of new drugs with anxiolytic properties. Natural products have been widely used in the treatment of anxiety disorders and as a source of bioactive heterocyclic compounds. Methods for improving the perception and attitude of health workers towards generic drugs are proposed, such as putting forward generic drugs as one of the learning topics in college curricula, and conducting scientific discussions and conferences on generic drugs through professional organizations. The penultimate study comprehensively reviews the clinicopathological features of lipoblastomas and emphasizes the importance of accurate diagnosis and the differentiation of lipoblastomas from other histologically similar lipomatous neoplasms. The closing study proposes that the relaxant effects of flavone may be due to the inhibition of enzyme activities and intracellular Ca2+ of the trachealis after increasing these two cyclic nucleotides.

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"Like Bolaño, Vásquez is a master stylist and a virtuoso of patient pacing and intricate structure" LEV GROSSMAN, Time Magazine"Juan Gabriel Vásquez . . . has succeeded García Márquez as the literary grandmaster of Colombia" ARIEL DORFMAN, New York Review of BooksA morally complex, searing set of stories by the award-winning author of The Sound of Things Falling and The Shape of the Ruins (shortlisted for the Booker International Prize 2019).A renowned photographer probes a traumatic incident in the life of a fellow guest at a countryside ranch. A chance meeting at a regimental reunion obliges a Korean War veteran to confront a shameful secret. And in the title story, an internet search for a book published in 1887 leads to the discovery of the life of a remarkable woman: Aurelia de Léon, who arrives in Colombia as a child orphan of the Great War, but as a free-spirited adult runs foul of her adoptive country's deep conservatism.The characters in Songs for the Flames are all men and women touched by violence - sometimes directly, sometimes tangentially - but the lives of all of them are irrevocably changed by the experience.Translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean

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"I love every aspect of this amazing book—a genderfluid hero, a deadly contest, and vicious courtly intrigue. Get! Read! Now!" —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling authorI needed to win. They needed to die.Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class—and the nobles who destroyed their home. When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand—the Queen's personal assassins, named after the rings she wears—Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge. But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.This heart-pounding YA story of magic, danger, and revenge is perfect for readers looking for: epic books for tweens and teens gay and lesbian fantasy and science fiction gripping stories with queer and gay magic and sorcery gender fluid representation and gender diversity dazzling world-building and relatable charactersPraise for Mask of Shadows:A Bustle Most Anticipated YA of 2017!"Compelling and relatable characters, a fascinating world with dangerous magic, and a dash of political intrigue: Mask of Shadows completely delivered. Fantasy fans will love this book."—Jodi Meadows, New York Times bestselling coauthor of My Lady Jane"An intriguing world and a fantastically compelling main character make for a can't-miss debut. Miller's Mask of Shadows will make you glad you're not an assassin—and even gladder Sal is."—Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken and Now I Rise"It is fabulous. Go forth and read the Hunger Games-like craftiness and intensity, Kaz Brekker-ish determination and moral questionability, and utterly charming romance." — LGBTQ Reads"Uber bloody and action packed, Mask of Shadows is the book for anyone who loves a heavy dose of grit and gore with their fantasy." — TeenVogue.comDon't miss the highly anticipated second book in the Mask of Shadows duology, Ruin of Stars, and Linsey Miller's standalone YA fantasy Belle Révolte, both available now!

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The expectations of the Catholic Church and the demands of the state are a precarious balancing act that have been apparent throughout the history of Catholic education. It is a relationship that is under scrutiny, even in the contemporary context. Drawing on the works and lives of key figures in the history of teacher preparation in Catholic education internationally, this important text illuminates the contributions they made and the challenges they faced. In providing this rich historical synthesis, the authors invite further reflection on the most appropriate methods of teacher preparation for contemporary Catholic schools and on possible contributions to wider teacher preparation from cogitating the history of the Catholic tradition. This book addresses teacher preparation for Catholic schools at both the 'pre-service' and 'in-service' levels by looking at the Church and its relationship with the state. The former will allow opportunities for a deep study of the role of 'faith' in Teacher Preparation, while the latter focuses on how a distinctive faith-based model of education can be in dialogue with the expectations of civil society. By using this multi-layered framework, the book offers exciting and innovative opportunities to inform contemporary practice from international examples, proving an invaluable text for researchers in the fields of comparative education, theology and the sociology of religion.

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Tracing the Great War through the Millennium Bug, 1999 through 1900, Dadaism through Scientology through Sierra Leonean bicycle riding and back, award-winning Czech author Patrik Ourednik explores the horror and absurdity of the twentieth century in an explosive deconstruction of historical memory.Europeana: A Brief History of the Twentieth Century opens on the beaches of Normandy in 1944, comparing the heights of different forces’ soldiers and considering how tall, long, or good at fertilizing fields the men’s bodies will be. Probing the depths of humanity and inhumanity, this is an account of history as it has never been told: “engaging, even frightening.” At once recreating and uncreating the twentieth century, Ourednik explores the connections across the decades between the disparate figures, events, and politics we thought we knew.Patrik Ourednik’s Europeana merits the author’s reputation as a giant of post-1989 Czech literature. Now translated into 33 languages, the book is a masterwork of cubism, a polymorphic monologue of statistics and movements and fine print and discoveries that evokes the deadpan absurdity of Kafka and the gallows humor of Hašek. Ourednik has created a mesmerizing, maddening account of the past, and his interrogation of “truth” and objectivity resonates now more than ever.

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Arthur Ransome was, from 1930 to the early 1960s, what J.K. Rowling is today: author of a series of children's books which shaped the imagination of a generation. Rooted in the heyday of the British Empire, Swallows and Amazons and its sequels described a nostalgic Utopia.Yet before that, Arthur Ransome was famous for different reasons. Between 1917 and 1924, as Russian correspondent for the Daily News and Manchester Guardian, he was an uncritical apologist for the Bolshevik regime, with unique access to the revolutionary leaders. As the Red Army engaged with an Allied invasion of Russia, Ransome was conducting a love affair with Evgenia Shelepina, private secretary to Leon Trotsky, then Soviet Commissar for War. As the intimate friend of Karl Radek, the Bolshevik Chief of Propaganda, he denied the Red Terror and compared Lenin to Oliver Cromwell. No English journalist was considered more controversial, or more damaging to British security. At Whitehall, he was accused of being the paid agent of a hostile power and only narrowly escaped prosecution for treason. This is a fascinating, often chilling revision of an English icon through the most formative decade of the twentieth century.

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‘A delightful introduction to an enduring subject’ – Angela Wintle, Sussex Life The most constructive and creative influence on English taste between the two wars, 'The Bloomsbury Group' was a union of friends who transformed British culture with their approach to art, design and society.The Group began the twentieth century with a desire to rebel and challenge what they felt were the religious, artistic, social and sexual taboos of Victorian England. Together they created a revolution in British style that resonates with contemporary painters, writers, actors, designers, fashion editors and publishers. This book explores the impact of Bloomsbury personalities on each other, as well as their legacy to the twenty-first century. Author Frances Spalding demonstrates how this network of artists, lovers and patrons recorded one another obsessively in both words and images. She presents twenty fascinating biographies, all of which are illustrated with paintings and intimate photographs created by members of the Group. Highlighted in her revealing account are: Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Vanessa and Clive Bell, Duncan Grant, Lady Ottoline Morrell, Roger Fry, J.M. Keynes, Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington.

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The Christmas Gothic (with thanks to author Marina Favila for the suggestion) is a seasonal celebration of the dark and moody, the ghastly, the ghostly and the magical Christmas short story. New stories from open submissions join the classic tales of Algernon Blackwood, James Joyce, E.F. Benson, Elizabeth Gaskell and more. The new, contemporary and notable writers featured are: Ramsey Campbell, Donna Cuttress, James Dodds, JG Faherty, Marina Favila, Kevin M. Folliard, John Linwood Grant, K.M. Hazel, Larry Hodges, E.E. King, Jonathan Robbins Leon, Clare Marsh, Marshall J. Moore, Templeton Moss, Jane Nightshade, Marie O’Regan, Katherine Quevedo, M.C. St. John, Lamont A. Turner, Suzanne J. Willis, and Cassondra Windwalker. Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

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Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444), the leading civic humanist of the Italian Renaissance, served as apostolic secretary to four popes (1405-1414) and chancellor of Florence (1427-1444). He was famous in his day as a translator, orator, and historian, and was the best-selling author of the fifteenth century. Bruni's History of the Florentine People in twelve books is generally considered the first modern work of history, and was widely imitated by humanist historians for two centuries after its official publication by the Florentine Signoria in 1442. This edition makes it available for the first time in English translation.

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This is the first-ever scholarly publication devoted to the art of Francesco de Mura (1696–1782), one of the greatest painters of the Golden Age of Naples. De Mura, the favourite of the Bourbon King Charles VII, was the chief painter of decorative cycles to emerge from the studio of Francesco Solimena (1657–1747), the famous Baroque artist. De Mura's refined and elegant compositions, with their exquisite light and colouring, heralded the rococo in Naples, and his later style was a precursor of Neo- Classicism. His ceiling frescoes rivalled those of his celebrated Venetian contemporary, Giambattista Tiepolo (1696–1770). Yet, today, De Mura lacks his proper place in the history of art. Author Arthur Blumenthal argues that this is because nearly a third of De Mura's work was lost during World War II, including, most tragically his crowning achievement, a series of frescos at the abbey of Monte Cassino. It is now time to re-evaluate this once celebrated artist. AUTHOR: Arthur R. Blumenthal is director emeritus of Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College Nicola Spinosa is director of the Capodimonte Museum Naples and former Superintendent of the National Museums in Naples David Nolta is professor in History of Art at Massachusetts College of Art and Design Maria Grazia Leonetti Rodino is governor of the Pio Monte della Misericordia Loredana Gazzara is governor of the Office Picture Gallery and Historical Archive, Pio Monte della Misericordia. 110 colour illustrations

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Interrogates the development of the world's first international courts of humanitarian justice and the subsequent "liberation" of nearly two hundred thousand Africans in the nineteenth century. In 1807, Britain and the United States passed legislation limiting and ultimately prohibiting the transoceanic slave trade. As world powers negotiated anti-slave-trade treaties thereafter, British, Portuguese, Spanish, Brazilian,French, and US authorities seized ships suspected of illegal slave trading, raided slave barracoons, and detained newly landed slaves. The judicial processes in a network of the world's first international courts of humanitarian justice not only resulted in the "liberation" of nearly two hundred thousand people but also generated an extensive archive of documents. Liberated Africans and the Abolition of the Slave Trade, 1807-1896 makes use of theserecords to illuminate the fates of former slaves, many of whom were released from bondage only to be conscripted into extended periods of indentured servitude. Essays in this collection explore a range of topics relatedto those often referred to as "Liberated Africans"-a designation that, the authors show, should be met with skepticism. Contributors share an emphasis on the human consequences for Africans of the abolitionist legislation. The collection is deeply comparative, looking at conditions in British colonies such as Sierra Leone, the Gambia, and the Cape Colony as well as slave-plantation economies such as Brazil, Cuba, and Mauritius. A groundbreaking intervention in the study of slavery, abolition, and emancipation, this volume will be welcomed by scholars, students, and all who care about the global legacy of slavery.

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This title presents the memoirs of Ireland's acclaimed author and playwright, Hugh Leonard. Born in 1926 in Dublin, he was educated at Presentation College, Dun Laoghaire. He is an award winning playwright and screenwriter, and was Literary Editor at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin 1976-77. He now lives in Dalkey in County Dublin. This second volume of autobiography is a portrait of adolescence in Dublin in the 1940s and 1950s: schooldays and altar-boyhood, early bliss in the sevenpennies at the Astoria, problems with Gloria and Dolores. Leonard stirs in theatre ancedotes, vignettes of Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan and divulges his own beginnings as a writer. The result is a humorous analysis of Dublin and Dubliners.

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The atrocities of civil wars present us with many difficult questions. How do seemingly ordinary individuals come to commit such extraordinary acts of cruelty, often against unarmed civilians? Can we ever truly understand such acts of 'evil'? Based on a wealth of original interviews with perpetrators of violence in Sierra Leone's civil war, this book provides a detailed response. Moving beyond the rigid bounds of political science, the author engages with sociology, psychology and social psychology, to provide a comprehensive picture of the complex individual motives behind seemingly senseless violence in Sierra Leone's war. Highlighting the inadequacy of current explanations that centre on the anarchic nature of brutality, or conversely, its calculated rationality, this book sheds light on the critical but hitherto neglected role played by the emotions of shame and disgust. Drawing on first-hand accounts of strategies employed by Sierra Leone's rebel commanders, it documents the manner in which rebel recruits were systematically brutalised and came to perform horrifying acts of cruelty as routine.In so doing, it offers fresh insight into the causes of extreme violence that holds relevance beyond Sierra Leone to the atrocities of contemporary civil wars.

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Residual soils are found in many parts of the world and are used extensively as construction materials for roads, embankments and dams, and to support the foundations of buildings, bridges and load-bearing pavements. The characteristics and engineering properties of residual soils can differ significantly from those of the more familiar transported soils. The fact that residual soils occur often in areas with tropical and sub-tropical climates and (extensively) in semi-arid climates, adds another dimension to their engineering performance, that of unsaturation.Although there are many books that deal with the mechanics of soils, these are based mainly on the characteristics and behaviour of saturated transported soils. The first edition of this book was the first book to be written specifically about the mechanics of residual soils. The book was prepared by a panel of authors drawn from the Technical Committee on Tropical and Residual Soils of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. It was written as a practical professional guide for geotechnical engineers working with residual soils.The second edition has retained the valuable information contained in the first edition. The present editors and authors have extensively revised and augmented the content to bring it completely up to date, adding significantly to the sections on unsaturated soil mechanics and expanding the range and number of instructive case histories. Furthermore, sections on pedocretes, dispersive soils and karst have been added.

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Political parties are one of the core institutions of democracy. But in democracies around the world-rich and poor, Western and non-Western-there is growing evidence of low or declining public confidence in parties. In membership, organization, and popular involvement and commitment, political parties are not what they used to be. But are they in decline, or are they simply changing their forms and functions? In contrast to authors of most previous works on political parties, which tend to focus exclusively on long-established Western democracies, the contributors to this volume cover many regions of the world. Theoretically, they consider the essential functions that political parties perform in democracy and the different types of parties. Historically, they trace the emergence of parties in Western democracies and the transformation of party cleavage in recent decades. Empirically, they analyze the changing character of parties and party systems in postcommunist Europe, Latin America, and five individual countries that have witnessed significant change: Italy, Japan, Taiwan, India, and Turkey. As the authors show, political parties are now only one of many vehicles for the representation of interests, but they remain essential for recruiting leaders, structuring electoral choice, and organizing government. To the extent that parties are weak and discredited, the health of democracy will be seriously impaired. Contributors: Larry Diamond and Richard Gunther * Hans Daalder * Philippe Schmitter * Seymour Martin Lipset * Giovanni Sartori * Bradley Richardson * Herbert Kitschelt * Michael Coppedge * Ergun Ozbudun * Yun-han Chu * Leonardo Morlino * Ashutosh Varshney and E. Sridharan * Stefano Bartolini and Peter Mair.

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The definitive field guide to the magnificent wildflowers of the Adirondacks.Covering more than six million acres of protected wilderness, the Adirondacks, with their landscape of high peaks, verdant wetlands, majestic trees, and lush carpets of flowers, is a pristine paradise for nature lovers. The only available identification guide to the Adirondack region's wildflowers, this comprehensive resource is packed with more than 300 gorgeous color images, one to represent almost every flower commonly found in this huge range. Revealing the stunning diversity of Adirondack wildflowers, from goldenrod and marsh blue violet to cattails and hellebore, the book includes • detailed botanical species accounts, arranged by flower color• images of each flower that highlight key features for easy ID• information about each species' natural history• descriptions of the region's upland, wetland, and aquatic habitats• a special section on the nearly 40 terrestrial orchid species found in the AdirondacksWritten by Donald J. Leopold and Lytton John Musselman, skilled botanists and the foremost authorities on these plants, this superior quality guide will appeal to residents of and visitors to the Adirondacks and northeastern mountains, including wildlife professionals, citizen scientists, backpackers, campers, photographers, bird watchers, artists, and wild food foragers.

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Based on Shamanic principles and the philosophy that laughter and play are basic human needs that feed the soul and unleash natural creativity, the tried, tested and proven activities in this book can be used with all ages. They are helpfully split into different sections, covering everything from warm-up games to verbal improvisation games, theatre games and warm-downs. Drawing on decades of experience in this substantially revised and expanded new edition, the author shares the games, improvisations and dance structures that he has found most effective in his work as a group leader and participant, and includes tips throughout on how to be a good facilitator and run a successful group.With lists of resources, including a musicography, the book is an inspiring and practical resource for anyone running a group.

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New discoveries and a fresh perspective, with unprecedented access to Richey's personal archiveOn 1 February 1995, Richey Edwards, guitarist of the Manic Street Preachers, went missing at the age of 27. On the eve of a promotional trip to America, he vanished from his London hotel room, his car later discovered near the Severn Bridge, a notorious suicide spot.Over two decades later, Richey’s disappearance remains one of the most moving, mysterious and unresolved episodes in recent pop culture history. For those with a basic grasp of the facts, Richey's suicide seems obvious and undeniable. However, a closer investigation of his actions in the weeks and months before his disappearance just don’t add up, and until now few have dared to ask the important questions.Withdrawn Traces is the first book written with the co-operation of the Edwards family, testimony from Richey’s closest friends and unprecedented and exclusive access to Richey’s personal archive. In a compelling real-time narrative, the authors examine fresh evidence, uncover overlooked details, profile Richey's state of mind, and brings us closer than ever before to the truth.

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In Losing the Plot, well-known scholar and writer Leon de Kock offers a lively and wide-ranging analysis of postapartheid South African writing which, he contends, has morphed into a far more fl exible and multifaceted entity than its predecessor.If postapartheid literature’s founding moment was the ‘transition’ to democracy, writing over the ensuing years has viewed the Mandelan project with increasing doubt. Instead, Authors from all quarters are seen to be reporting, in different ways and from divergent points of view, on what is perceived to be a pathological public sphere in which the plot– the mapping and making of social betterment – appears to have been lost.The compulsion to forensically detect the actual causes of such loss of direction has resulted in the prominence of creative nonfi ction. A significant adjunct in the rise of this is the new media, which sets up a ‘wounded’ space within which a ‘cult of commiseration’ compulsively and repeatedly plays out the facts of the day on people’s screens; this, De Kock argues, is reproduced in much postapartheid writing. And, although fi ctional forms persist in genres such as crime fiction, with their tendency to overplot, more serious fi ction underplots, yielding to the imprint of real conditions to determine the narrative construction.

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The earth's daily rotation affects just about every living creature. From dawn through to dusk, there are changes in light, temperature, humidity, and rainfall. However, these changes are regular, rhythmic and, therefore, predictable. Thus, the near 24 hour circadian rhythm is innate: a genetically programmed clock that essentially ticks of its own accord. This Very Short Introduction explains how organisms can "know" the time and reveals what we now understand of the nature and operation of chronobiological processes. Covering variables such as light, the metabolism, human health, and the seasons, Foster and Kreitzman illustrate how jet lag and shift work can impact on human well-being, and consider circadian rhythms alongside a wide range of disorders, from schizophrenia to obesity. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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“Rhys Bowen crafts a propulsive, unexpected plot with characters who come vibrantly alive on the page.” —Mark Sullivan, author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky Love and secrets collide in Venice during WWII in an enthralling novel of brief encounters and lasting romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and Above the Bay of Angels. Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper…Venice. Caroline’s quest: to scatter Juliet “Lettie” Browning’s ashes in the city she loved and to unlock the mysteries stored away for more than sixty years. It’s 1938 when art teacher Juliet Browning arrives in romantic Venice. For her students, it’s a wealth of history, art, and beauty. For Juliet, it’s poignant memories and a chance to reconnect with Leonardo Da Rossi, the man she loves whose future is already determined by his noble family. However star-crossed, nothing can come between them. Until the threat of war closes in on Venice and they’re forced to fight, survive, and protect a secret that will bind them forever. Key by key, Lettie’s life of impossible love, loss, and courage unfolds. It’s one that Caroline can now make right again as her own journey of self-discovery begins.

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Leon Krier is one of the best-known - and most provocative - architects and urban theoreticians in the world. Until now, however, his ideas have circulated mostly among a professional audience of architects, city planners, and academics. In "The Architecture of Community", Krier has reconsidered and expanded writing from his 1998 book "Architecture: Choice or Fate". Here he refines and updates his thinking on the making of sustainable, humane, and attractive villages, towns, and cities. The book includes drawings, diagrams, and photographs of his built works, which have not been widely seen until now. With three new chapters, "The Architecture of Community" provides a contemporary road map for designing or completing today's fragmented communities. Illustrated throughout with Krier's original drawings, "The Architecture of Community" explains his theories on classical and vernacular urbanism and architecture, while providing practical design guidelines for creating livable towns. The book contains descriptions and images of the author's built and unbuilt projects, including the Krier House and Tower in Seaside, Florida, as well as the town of Poundbury in England. Commissioned by the Prince of Wales in 1988, Krier's design for "Poundbury in Dorset" has become a reference model for ecological planning and building that can meet contemporary needs.

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Good advice that stands the test of time-those things we all know are true, tips that help us live the good life-we call wisdom. But, one life time is not enough to master the fine art of living. Distilled over centuries, the biblical book of Ecclesiastes offers us the time-tested advice of Israel's sages. This is the best of wisdom, with echoes of East and West-from Zen and Tao to Merton and Moore--all rolled into one.In Ecclesiastes, Bible scholar Choon-Leong Seow creatively translates and carefully interprets one of the world's most profound, most enduring collections of ancient wisdom. Sometimes joyful and exultant, other times cynical and fatalistic, the ancient author Qohelet ("Teacher") wrestles with the ups and downs of real life. Even today, we recognize and repeat the sayings of this treasure-trove of apt advice. The book begins and ends with the infamous claim, "Vanity of vanities, says Qohelet, vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" In between, the sage leaves no stone unturned in the search for meaning. As the wisdom of biblical Ecclesiastes has stood the test of time, so shall Dr. Seow's Ecclesiastes become a classic in the venerated tradition of the Anchor Bible series.

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Join sister and brother, Sarita and Amar Joshi, on a whirlwind tour of India. Find out lots of fascinating information about this amazing country, including: Wonderful wildlife - including lions, tigers, elephants and snow leopards Delicious food - from samosas and dosas to spicy curries Colourful clothes - you'll even learn how to put on a sari Popular sports and entertainment - from cricket, to traditional music and Bollywood filmsAfter reading this book, you'll want to transport yourself to this incredible country! Incredible India is part of the Reading Planet range of books for Stars (Lime) to Supernova (Red+) band. Children aged 7-11 will love reading the exciting collection of fiction and non-fiction written by top authors. Inspire them to keep reading through gripping stories and fascinating information books packed with rich language and stunning artwork. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills.Reading age: 8-9 years

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The second spellbinding adventure in Benjamin Read and Laura Trinder's magical Midnight Hour series! 'A fantastic magical adventure featuring a cast of Ghibli-esque characters, a feisty heroine and a hedgehog. I loved it.' M.G. LEONARD, author of BEETLE BOY on book 1 'Fans of Nevermoor will love this' THE BOOKSELLER on book 1 'I haven't enjoyed this kind of caper so much since Harry Potter' NEW STATESMAN on book 1 'Pure delight' THE GUARDIAN on book 1 Emily needs to work out why magic is leaking from the Midnight Hour – but her shape-shifting Pooka relatives and a terrifying haunting aren't making things easy. Plus ... she's supposed to be grounded. Officer-in-training Tarkus and pet hedgehog Hoggins are on hand to help – but if they can't work out what's going wrong, it will be the end of the midnight world ... The second critically-acclaimed book in the much-loved Midnight Hour series A hilarious, spooky adventure full of genuine scares and belly laughs! Coraline meets A Wrinkle in Time: all the makings of a modern classic Continue the adventure with book 3, The Midnight Hunt

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Engage, support and develop confident historians This Student Book covers the key knowledge for Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Option 13 Migrants in Britain, c800-present and Notting Hill c.1948-1970. Written by an experienced author team (Rosemary Rees, Tony Warner, Joshua Garry and series editor Angela Leonard), with a wealth of experience and knowledge, together, they bring this fascinating journey through British history to life. Key features for students include: clear and accessible language to appeal to students of all abilities a wealth of contemporary images and sources differentiated activities and checkpoint activities recap pages to help with consolidating and retaining knowledge a Preparing for the exam section, with exam advice and annotated sample answers an Extend your knowledge section for students wishing to conduct further research into this topic. The student book also incorporates tried and tested teaching approaches: Thinking Historically activities throughout tackle some of the key misconceptions that can hold student thinking back. Writing Historically spreads, based on the Grammar for Writing approach used by many English departments, explain how students can improve their writing, making their answers more sophisticated, clear and concise. About the series editor: Angela Leonard taught history in secondary schools for over 20 years and was also a teacher trainer at the University of London Institute of Education for over a decade. She has extensive experience as a senior GCSE examiner and as an author and series editor of history textbooks. About the authors: Rosemary Rees taught history in primary and secondary schools for many years and has been involved in teacher training at St Martin's College, Lancaster as well as teaching for the Open University. She has worked as a GCSE external assessor and has extensive experience as a senior examiner at GCSE and GCE levels. She has authored and series edited numerous history books for KS3, GCSE and GCE. Tony Warner is the founder of Black History Walks which leads tours in areas across London, including Notting Hill. The walks are designed to uncover the 3500 years of black history in London. He spent several years running workshops on institutional racism and has created community partnerships with, and lectured at, The Imperial War Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Docklands and British Film Institute. He is currently Activist in Residence and Honorary Research Fellow at UCL's Sarah Parker Remond Centre. Joshua Garry, Joshua is a Deputy Head of History at a school in London with a passion for creating a more diverse and inclusive history curriculum. “I think first and foremost you want your history curriculum to represent the experiences of the people inside the classroom or the people inside Britain. I always like to start in my classroom first. What does my classroom look like? I want my students to be able to connect with those stories. To see where they fit in.” – Joshua Garry

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The First Counterspy is the pulse-quickening and traumatic story of spy, counterspy, and an American family unwittingly caught in its web. Until this case, the FBI had never recruited civilian counterspies to catch a Soviet agent. The first two were Larry Haas, a leading aviation engineer at Bell Aviation, and Leona Franey, head librarian at Bell’s technical library. The FBI pitted them against a Soviet agent, Andrei Ivanovich Schevchenko, operating legally as one of the highest Soviet officials in the United States during WWII, and illegally as the secret head of a wide-ranging spy network hidden within the American aviation industry. The First Counterspy lays out this exciting story and, later, the consequences of Schevchenko’s deadly threat of vengeance against Haas, the counterspy who betrayed him. The threat was uttered in a mere fourteen seconds but generated lethal consequences that long outlived Schevchenko, tormented Larry Haas, killed his wife, and subjected his daughter, Kay (the co-author of this book), to decades of nearly fatal harassment. And thereby hangs a tale of spy vs. spy intrigue against the backdrop of the home front during World War II.

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Presents Scotland as a case study for a fresh interpretation of Archbishop William Laud, his career and his working partnership with Charles I. William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (1633-45), remains one of the most controversial figures in British ecclesiastical and political history. His rise to prominence under Charles I, his contribution to the shaping and implementation of contentious religious policies and his subsequent and catastrophic downfall are fundamental to our understanding of the religious and political developments which led to the collapse of royal authority in all three of theStuart kingdoms. Events in Scotland were central to this chain of events, and this book presents Scotland as a case study for a fresh interpretation of Laud, his career and his working partnership with Charles I. Casting new andmuch-needed light on Laud's engagement in Scottish affairs, this book reveals that his agency in Scotland was broadly consistent with - although differing in detail from - his approach in England and Ireland. It represents a majorcontribution to key debates on the nature of religion and politics in the 1630s and early 1640s and enhances current thinking on the role of both prince and prelate in the formulation of ecclesiastical policy, the 'British problem', and, indeed, the causes of the British Civil Wars. LEONIE JAMES is Lecturer in History at the University of Kent, Canterbury.

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In order to deliver excellent service quality, it is critical to understand, create and deliver real value to all stakeholders. The second edition of Services Marketing Management has been thoroughly revised and restructured to provide the students with an overview of services marketing from this clear strategic orientation. It is built around five core guiding principles: Market orientation Assets and capabilities Characteristics of services Internationalization Value concept With numerous examples that illustrate key points in the text, Services Marketing Management, 2nd Edition begins by embracing services marketing management in both a national and international context, including the latest developments, then outlines the wide variety of assets and strategic capabilities required to deliver services and create superior value for customers. 'This is a welcome second edition, firmly establishing it as a leading international text on strategic services marketing. Though completely revised, it retains the unique focus of the original on care for the individual and the understanding, creation and delivery of value to customers, with the authors bringing their topic vividly to life through numerous international examples. Clearly written and logically structured, it will be an invaluable resource for services marketing and management courses at all levels.’ Professor Graham Hooley, Aston Business School "An up-to-date, comprehensive and truly global treatment of services marketing management with new insights for every reader." Leonard L. Berry, Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Mays Business School and author of Discovering the Soul of Service "This book is a very valuable addition to the services marketing literature. Its logical structure and clarity of expression will make it extremely appealing to students and lecturers." Steve Oakes, University of Liverpool "This is a must for students, teachers and practitioners in services marketing.’ Kjell Grønhaug, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration ‘This is an academically rigorous text with a strong European focus – excellent.’ Jill Brown, Portsmouth Business School ‘Services Marketing Management: a comprehensive and completely up-to-date book based on an excellent combination of modern theory and actual practice." Peter Leeflang, Frank M. Bass Professor of Marketing, University of Groningen and Professor at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University at Frankfurt am Main ‘This excellent textbook has got what it strongly deserved: a second edition. I particularly appreciate: • the consequent focus on market and customer orientation • the integration of business-to-business services • the overarching HRM perspective and • the refined didactic approach not self-evident in other service management textbooks. "What a service for the reader!" Bernd Günter, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Düsseldorf

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Promoting and underlining the importance of structural thinking, Structural Systems: Behaviour and Design will provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of a wide range of structural systems based on the load-carrying mechanisms involved. Bringing together a wide array of structural types and covering the behaviour and design of both steel and reinforced concrete (prestressing inclusive), the author employs an integrated qualitative and quantitative approach to the examination of each structural element. Topics are introduced in a logical manner, building on concepts discussed and explained in previous chapters, providing readers with a sound understanding of the universal principles of structural behaviour and enabling them to apply safe conceptual and preliminary designs, whatever design codes they are working with. Building on the fundamental concepts and basic structural systems covered in volume 1, this volume looks at the more advanced topics of spatial structural systems, dynamic behaviour and seismic response, and soil-structure interaction. Each topic is treated in a predominantly practical way and supported throughout with illustrative diagrams, equipping readers with the analytical tools and structural understanding required to undertake the design of complex structures, including bridges, buildings, space covering roofs and foundations.

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'A fascinating analysis of the proposition that the start of the 21st century is witnessing the rapid rise in South East Asia of a new and powerful transnational economic zone, the Asian Mediterranean. It uses a wide range of historical and contemporary multidisciplinary sources to systematically explore how, why, and in what ways we can better interpret and understand this contemporary version of economic globalisation by looking back to the equivalent processes centred on the ports around the Mediterranean and the Baltic seas during late 16th century.'- Peter Daniels, University of Birmingham, UK'Francois Gipouloux has written a vast and comprehensive history of the Asian economic system. In the tradition of Braudel, he paints a picture that is detailed, full of insight, and essentially very long term. On the basis of an analysis of the old Mediterranean and Hanseatic economic networks, he surveys the pre-modern Asian system, bringing it up to date with studies of Yokohama, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian hubs. The culmination of many years work, Gipouloux throws light on a new China -- a China no longer land based and inward looking but dependent on, and a power in, a maritime world.'- Christopher Howe, University of London, UK'Gipouloux's ground breaking study based on a long career as a scholar of Asia's past is a most original contribution to the study of globalization. Connecting past and present, the author has further developed the somewhat vague metaphor of an Asian Mediterranean into a well defined concept that can also be applied for analyzing contemporary affairs. While in the past the traditional Chinese and Japanese state systems were failing to formulate adequate answers, on a more informal level, the port cities were able to meet with the maritime challenges of the emerging modern world system. The author convincingly shows how also in the age of globalization, a string of coastal metropolises continues to be instrumental in opening up the Far Eastern economy to the global economy.'- Leonard Blusse, Leiden University, The NetherlandsThis insightful book draws upon a wide range of disciplines - political economy, geography and international relations - to examine how Asia has returned to its central position in the world economy. As in the case of the hosting of the Olympic games, it is cities rather than states which compete, whether as financial centers, logistical hubs or platforms for coordinating international subcontracting. Analyzing the historical precedents of the Mediterranean maritime republics, the Baltic Sea Hanseatic League and the South China Sea mercantile kingdoms, the book delineates the way stable economic and legal institutions were developed largely beyond the purview of, and at times in conflict with, the State. Discussing the strong link between history and contemporary economic situation, The Asian Mediterranean will appeal to academics, including post-graduates students, of economics, geography, history, regional studies and Asian studies.

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There’s no getting around the allure of motorcycles. Since 1885, when Gottlieb Daimler mounted a gas-powered engine on a wooden bicycle, riders of all ages have been drawn to the exhilaration and terror of motoring in the open air on two wheels. Motorcycles have become ingrained in our culture. To some, they are the ultimate expression of freedom. To others, motorcycles symbolize lawlessness and disrespect for authority.The Little Black Book of Motorcycle Wisdom is packed full of wise, witty, and edgy quotes on motorcycles and the people who ride them. Celebrities, literary giants, and athletes offer pithy and memorable comments on what they ride, where they ride, with whom they ride, how fast they ride—and, most importantly, why they ride. Read musings on bikes from such noteworthy folks as: Hunter S. Thompson Marlon Brando Robert Pirsig Evel Knievel Sonny Barger Ewan McGregor Steve McQueen Leonardo DiCaprio Paul Newman Bob Dylan Hugh Laurie Angelina Jolie T. E. Lawrence And dozens of others! There’s a reason why people the world over are passionate about a machine that has been dubbed “the perfect vehicle.” This book tells you why.

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Praise for Mezcal:"Mezcal is also a lyrical meditation upon the ultimate strength of the land, specifically the desert Southwest, and how that land prevails and endures despite every effort of modern industry and development to rape and savage it in the name of progress. Mezcal lingers in the mind as only the very best books manage to do."—Harry Crews"The author . . . excavates his own tormented life—and its relation to the land he loves—in a series of powerful, imagistic autobiographical essays. Like the desert he cherishes, this memoir is harsh yet lovely, full of sour self-truth. . . . A potent presentation of the wounds of one man's life, packed with indelible impressions; but there's little healing here, making this a bitter if beautiful read."—Kirkus Review "In Mezcal . . . Bowden drops the journalistic veil, exploring the ecology of his interior landscape at least as thoroughly as the changing scenery that surrounds him. . . . Others—Aldo Leopold, Edward Abbey—have already staked inviolate claims on the Southwestern deserts. But Bowden owns the complex terrain where, like a mezcal-inspired mirage, the Sonoran sun-belt overlaps the gray convolutions of the American mind."—Los Angeles Times

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