Search results for ""Author Shin"

A failed writer connects the murder of an American journalist, a drowned 80s musician and a Scottish politician’s resignation, in a heart-wrenching novel about ordinary people living in extraordinary times. ‘A dazzling, time-hopping patchwork of pop and politics, sewn together with wit and compassion’ Kirstin Innes ‘This amiable and ambitious transatlantic extravaganza is a busy social tapestry pegged to real-life events in Scotland and the US … Ross’s affection for his characters shines through. There’s so much going on here that value for money is pretty much all but guaranteed’ Daily Mail ‘A mesmerising road trip through the America of Kerouac, Warhol and Reagan. Dashboard Elvis may be dead, but this book is full of vibrant, authentic, colourful life’ Stuart Cosgrove **David F. Ross was shortlisted for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year in the Scottish Book Awards** ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Renowned photo-journalist Jude Montgomery arrives in Glasgow in 2014, in the wake of the failed Scottish independence referendum, and it’s clear that she’s searching for someone. Is it Anna Mason, who will go on to lead the country as First Minister? Jamie Hewitt, guitarist from eighties one-hit wonders The Hyptones? Or is it Rabbit – Jude’s estranged foster sister, now a world-famous artist? Three apparently unconnected people, who share a devastating secret, whose lives were forever changed by one traumatic night in Phoenix, forty years earlier. Taking us back to a school shooting in her Texas hometown, and a 1980s road trip across the American West – to San Francisco and on to New York – Jude’s search ends in Glasgow, and a final, shocking event that only one person can fully explain… An extraordinary, gritty and tender novel about fate and destiny, regret and absolution – and a road trip that changes everything… ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ‘Few do raw, authentic, almost palpably believable characters better than David F. Ross' The Times ‘A masterclass in transatlantic intertwining storytelling from one of Scotland’s finest writers’ Derek Steel, Razur Cuts ‘A rich and rewarding novel that takes in the culture and social history of both Scotland and the USA, beautifully weaving stories together over decades … devastating’ Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae ‘An ambitious, sweeping novel … Taut and gritty, Dashboard Elvis Is Dead interrogates truth, and pulses with life’ Donna McLean ‘An irresistible story of chances taken and missed, and of last-ditch hopes of redemption … the writing is exquisite’ Katie Allen ‘Gripping, gritty and gloriously written, David F. Ross captures characters, places and moods like few other writers … a triumph of a novel’ Martin Geissler ‘A rawness and sensitivity that is so visceral … another extraordinary novel from David F. Ross’ Anne Cater ‘Simultaneously intimate and epic … my head and heart are spinning’ From Belgium with Booklove

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An interactive touch and feel book for babies with colors, shapes and read-aloud text! Tactile elements and delightful imagery will encourage the development of motor skills and early learning. Baby Touch and Feel: Colors and Shapes is an interactive and fun way to help your child learn not only words but shapes and textures too. Bold, bright pictures and colorful shape-inspired illustrations will be more than enough to keep your baby’s attention. This adorable picture book is a perfect first book for toddlers and makes for an ideal baby gift.Read all about an exciting selection of shapes and textures, from silky butterflies to bumpy oranges! Not too big and not too small, this sturdy, padded sensory book is just the right size for little hands to hold. No need for Mom and Dad to turn the pages! Babies and toddlers can turn the tough board book pages themselves, which helps to develop their fine motor skills while building an early language foundation. This charming board book for babies includes: - An amazing range of different textures to explore.- Cleary labeled pictures and a simple, easy to follow design.- Easy to read text to encourage early vocabulary building.- A texture or eye-catching area on every page.- Rounded edges and chunky pages, protecting babies and their growing teeth.Learning to read should always be this fun. Kids will get hours of play from this sturdy board book for babies and toddlers, from making the noises and reading the names to feeling the different textures, like green peas in a pod, a furry teddy bear and a smooth balloon. This touchy-feely book, with its strong, baby-safe cover, makes for an ideal baby gift. Packed full of shiny objects and some bumps and grooves, this educational book will engage small children and stimulate early childhood development in different ways. Complete the SeriesThis delightful book is part of the Baby Touch and Feel range of board books for babies and toddlers from DK Books and includes titles like Baby Touch and Feel I Love You, Baby Touch and Feel Bedtime, Baby Touch and Feel Mealtime, and more for your little one to enjoy!

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An interactive touch and feel book for babies with creatures, beasts and read-aloud text! Tactile elements and delightful imagery will encourage the development of motor skills and early learning. Baby Touch and Feel: Wild Animals is an interactive and fun way to help your child learn not only words but shapes and textures too. Bold, bright pictures and colourful wild animal-inspired illustrations will be more than enough to keep your baby's attention. This adorable picture book is a perfect first book for toddlers and makes for an ideal baby gift.Read all about an exciting selection of wild animals, from sticky frogs to smooth dolphins! Not too big and not too small, this sturdy, padded sensory book is just the right size for little hands to hold. No need for Mum and Dad to turn the pages! Babies and toddlers can turn the tough board book pages themselves, which helps to develop their fine motor skills while building an early language foundation.This charming board book for babies includes: - An amazing range of different textures to explore.- Cleary labeled pictures and a simple, easy to follow design.- Easy to read text to encourage early vocabulary building.- A texture or eye-catching area on every page.- Rounded edges and chunky pages, protecting babies and their growing teeth.Learning to read should always be this fun. Kids will get hours of play from this sturdy board book for babies and toddlers, from making the noises and reading the names to feeling the different textures, like the lizard's sparkly skin, the lion's hairy mane, and the koala's furry body. This touchy-feely book, with its strong, baby-safe cover, makes for an ideal baby gift. Packed full of shiny objects and some bumps and grooves, this educational book will engage small children and stimulate early childhood development in different ways.Complete the SeriesThis delightful book is part of the Baby Touch and Feel range of board books for babies and toddlers from DK Books and includes titles like Baby Touch and Feel Things That Go, Baby Touch and Feel Bedtime, Baby Touch and Feel Mermaid, and more for your little one to enjoy!

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The dual biography of the powerful First Couple who attempted to use their presidency to bring peace, human rights, and justice to all peoples of the world and dedicated the remainder of their long lives to making a safer, more caring world. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's marriage of over seventy-five years is the longest of any American presidential couple and has been described by them as a "full partnership." President Bill Clinton once said that they have changed more lives around the world than any couple in world history. Their lives have been public and private models of honesty and integrity in post-Watergate America. The second of a two-volume biography of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter by historian E. Stanly Godbold, Jr., this book offers a comprehensive account of the professional and personal lives of the powerful couple who have worked together as reformers in Georgia, President and First Lady of the United States, and founders of the Carter Center to promote international health, conflict resolution, and democracy. It picks up with their departure from the Georgia governor's mansion and their tireless campaign for the Democratic nomination for president in 1976, the first time a Southerner won the White House in over a century. It details the Carter couple's struggle for recognition on a national stage, the challenges of rising energy costs, mounting inflation, geopolitical tensions, and the "October Surprise" that tainted the 1980 election in which they went down to defeat. During these years, Rosalynn demonstrated that she was a better politician than her husband, offering policy advice, serving as ambassador extraordinaire, sitting in on Cabinet meetings, and working determinedly to provide care and respect for those suffering from mental illness. Their post-presidential work has been unprecedented on the international stage with Habitat for Humanity and especially their establishment of the Carter Center to "wage peace, fight disease, build hope." Carter, after reaching the zenith of his career in negotiating the Camp David Accords of 1978, continued for decades to work for peace in the Middle East. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, a prize which he quickly said equally belonged to Rosalynn and to the Carter Center. Among the greatest peacemakers of the twentieth century, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter emerge from this account as inspirational giants in American history and a shining example of the power of a couple in public service.

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The Sunday Times bestsellerThe moving and inspiring account of heartbreak and courage, and the life-affirming relationship between a father and son. Ben Brooks-Dutton's wife - the great love of his life - was knocked down and killed by a car as he walked beside her, pushing their two-year-old son in his buggy. Life changed forever. Suddenly Ben was a widower deep in shock, left to raise their bewildered child alone. In the aftermath Ben searched for guidance from men in similar situations, but it appeared that young widowed fathers don't talk. Well meaning loved ones admired his strength. The unwritten rule seemed to be to 'shut up, man up and hide your pain'. Lost, broken and afraid of the future, two months after his wife Desreen's death, Ben started a blog with the aim of rejecting outdated conventions of grief and instead opening up about his experiences. Within months Life as a Widower, had received a million hits and had started an all-too-often hushed conversation about the reality of loss and grief. This is the story of a man and a child who lost the woman they so dearly love and what happened in the year that followed. Ben describes the conflicting emotions that come from facing grief head on. He rages against the clichés used around loss and shows the strange and cruel ways in which grief can take hold. He also charts what it means to become a sole parent to a child who has lost their mother and cannot yet understand the meaning of death. Through the shock and sadness shine moments of hope and insight. So much of what Ben learns comes from watching his son struggle, survive and live, as children do, from moment to moment where hurt can turn to happiness and anger can turn to joy. This is a story of loss, heartbreak and courage. At its heart is the funny, infuriating and life affirming relationship between a father and son and their ongoing love for an extraordinary woman.

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Winner of the 2006 Shimada Prize from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies, Kyoto, Japan Winner of the 2006 John Whitney Hall Book Prize from the Association for Asian Studies Chikubushima, a sacred island north of the ancient capital of Kyoto, attracted the attention of Japan’s rulers in the Momoyama period (1568-1615) and became a repository of their art, including a lavishly decorated building dedicated to the worship of Benzaiten. In this meticulous and lucid study, Andrew Watsky keenly illustrates how private belief and political ambition influenced artistic production at the intersection of institutional Buddhism and Shinto during this tumultuous period of rapid and radical political, social, and aesthetic changes. He offers substantial conclusions not only about this specific site, but also, more broadly, about the nature of art production in Japan and how perceptions of the sacred shaped the concerns and actions of the secular rulers. The patrons of the island included the dominant political figures of the time: the late sixteenth-century ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) who supported numerous projects at the apogee of his power and his heir Hideyori (1593-1615), as well as their rival and eventual successor to national hegemony, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616). After Hideyoshi’s death, the Toyotomi clan struggled to retain their power and sought new opportunities to position themselves as chief conduits of divine protection and beneficence for the realm. They enacted and signified this role by zealous, indefatigable sponsorship of sacred architecture and its ornament, icons, and rituals. In the early seventeenth century, the Toyotomi clan sponsored a major refurbishing of the Benzaiten Hall on Chikubushima, transporting a highly ornamented structure from Kyoto to be installed as its core. Enveloped in polychrome paintings by the Kano workshop (the leading painting studio of the period), black-and-gold lacquer, gilt metalwork, and pictorial relief wood carvings, this core is the most complete ensemble of ornament and architecture surviving from the Momoyama period. Watsky has had unique access to the island, and many of the images included here have not previously been published.

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Throughout Latin America and the rest of the Third World, profound social problems are growing in response to burgeoning populations and unstable economic and political systems. In Peru, terrorist acts by the Shining Path guerilla movement are the most visible manifestation of social discontent, but rapid economic and religious changes have touched the lives of almost everyone, radically altering traditional lifeways. In this twenty-year study of the community of Quinua in the Department of Ayacucho, William Mitchell looks at changes provoked by population growth within a severely limited ecological and economic setting, including increasing conversion to a cash economy and out-migration, the decline of the Catholic fiesta system and the rise of Protestantism, and growing poverty and revolution.When Mitchell first began his field studies in Quinua in 1966, farming was still the Quinueños' principal means of livelihood. But while the population was increasing rapidly, the amount of arable land in the community remained the same, creating increased food shortfalls. At the same time, government controls on food prices and subsidies of cheap food imports drove down the value of rural farm production. These ecological and economic factors forced many people to enter the nonfarm economy to feed themselves.Using a materialist approach, Mitchell charts the new economic strategies that Quinueños use to confront the harsh pressures of their lives, including ceramic production, wage labor, petty commerce, and migration to cash work on the coat and in the eastern tropical forests. In addition, he shows how the growing conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism is also an economic strategy, since Protestant ideology offers acceptable reasons for redirecting the money that used to be spent on elaborate religious festivals to household needs and education.The twenty-year span of this study makes it especially valuable for students of social change. Mitchell's unique, interdisciplinary approach, considering ecological, economic, and population factors simultaneously, offers a model that can be widely applied in many Third World areas. Additionally, the inclusion of an entire chapter of family histories reveals how economic and ecological forces are played out at the individual level.

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The image of Sparta, and the Spartans, is one dyed indelibly into the public consciousness: musclebound soldiers with long hair and red cloaks, bearing shiny bronze shields emblazoned with the Greek letter lambda. 'This is Sparta!', bellows Leonidas on the silver screen, as he decides to lead his 300 warriors to their deaths at Thermopylae. But what was Sparta? The myths surrounding Sparta are as old as the city itself. Even in antiquity, Sparta was a unique society, considered an enigma. The Spartans who fought for freedom against the Persians called themselves 'equals' or peers, but their equality was reliant on the ruthless exploitation of the indigenous population known as helots. The Spartans' often bizarre rules and practices have the capacity to horrify as much they do to fascinate us today. Athenian writers were intrigued and appalled in equal measure by a society where weak or disabled babies were said to have been examined carefully by state officials before being dumped off the edge of a cliff. Even today their lurid stories have shaped our image of Sparta; a society in which cowards were forced to shave off half their beards, to dress differently from their peers, and who were ultimately shunned to the extent that suicide seemed preferable. Equally appalling to us today is the brutal krypteia, a Spartan rite of passage where teenagers were sent into the countryside armed with a knife and ordered to eliminate the biggest and most dangerous helots. But the truth behind these stories of the exotic other can be hard to discover, lost amongst the legend of Sparta which was even perpetuated by later Spartans, who ran a thriving tourist industry that exaggerated the famed brutality of their ancestors. As Andrew Bayliss explores in this book, there was also much to admire in ancient Sparta, such as the Spartans' state-run education system which catered even to girls, or the fact that Sparta was almost unparalleled in the pre-modern world in allowing women a clear voice, with no fewer than forty sayings by Spartan women preserved in our sources. This book reveals the best and the worst of the Spartans, separating myth from reality.

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Ninety-nine years ago, a new form of storytelling emerged from the ruins of World War I. Different in scope and power from theater or literature, and unlike any film that had come before, F. W. Murnau’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari addressed a direct challenge to its audience, demanding to be viewed as something other than what was immediately presented. Unfortunately, criticism has not risen to the challenge. Relegating the film condescendingly to the horror genre, or treating it merely as a case study in style, critics have failed to look at it with due seriousness. On the other hand, the film’s ambiguity, structural devices, and psychological depth gave cinema a number of tools that other filmmakers were quick to start using. This book examines a spectrum of narrative films that can be seen in new ways with methods derived and evolved from the techniques of Caligari. The intention is not only to offer new interpretations of classic and neglected films, but to open further discussion and exploration. It is written with optimism that movie lovers will see more in the movies they love, that critics will find new paths of investigation, and that filmmakers will benefit from greater awareness of what movies can do.Secrets of Cinema began in 1994, in discussions among friends after weekly movie nights hosted by the late Lawrence N. Fox on the 73rd floor of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. The movies selected are not necessarily the greatest ever made (although some of them surely are), but rather movies that offer new and useful lessons in how movies work.Among the secrets of cinema revealed in this book are at least three movies that are stealth remakes of The Wizard of Oz, hidden meanings behind films made under political repression, and why Hitchcock’s Psycho is a remake of his Vertigo. Persistent enigmas are clarified, including the logic of Persona, the riddle of Last Year at Marienbad, and the endings of Blow-Up and The Shining. More importantly, by showing how much there is to discover in movies, the book encourages its readers to continue in their own ways the quest to see movies whole.

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When Andrew gets hold of a pencil, anything can—and does—happen in this innovative and artistic book. The story literally unfolds step-by-step as readers are invited to follow Andrew through flaps and gatefolds. After sharpening his drawing implement on the first page, Andrew challenges the boundaries of each spread by beginning with a line that leads . . . and leads . . . to unexpected finishes. Staircases become dinosaurs, kites become rockets, and even the most unassuming squiggle morphs into a giant chicken! This lighthearted depiction of artistic inspiration is sure to engage doodlers of all ages. Praise for Andrew Drew and Drew "Any question of reality versus representation is the gentlest kind, utterly unobtrusive...Joyful imagination, plain and simple." —Kirkus Reviews "The magic comes from the accompanying artwork, which follows the eponymous boy and his adventures in drawing... Like a certain boy with a purple crayon, Andrew knows that drawing offers limitless possibilities, and readers will, too." —Publishers Weekly "In this humorous and heartfelt portrait of a young artist, Andrew models by example the ebb and flow of the creative process." —Shelf-Awareness "Each page in this cleverly-designed book is filled with a line, a loop, even a stair step that Andrew has doodled on the paper, and the beginnings of his drawings often lead to something that even the artist himself doesn’t expect." —Reading Today Online "The text is spare, with only a few words per page, letting the products of the boy’s imagination and readers’ anticipation of them shine as the focus of the book. Never has white space seemed so inviting." —School Library Journal "Children of all ages—especially those with an interest in drawing—will love exploring the pages of Andrew Drew and Drew. Along the way, they just might absorb some of the book’s message about the power of art and the joy of creating it." —BookPage AWARDS: GOLD - 2012 National Parenting Publications Book Awards RECOMMENDED - 2012 Parents' Choice Awards, Picture Books Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens - 2013 Capitol Choices

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’…an essential and fascinating manual for every woman who wants to understand equality within an ever-changing, modern world.’ Scarlett Curtis ‘…[this book] taught me more than any book has ever taught me about AI.’ Chris Evans, Virgin Radio How To Talk To Robots, is your girls guide to Artificial Intelligence. Entrepreneur Tabitha Goldstaub welcomes you into the AI world with a warm embrace. She brilliantly breaks down the tech-bro barriers offering a straightforward introduction and makes clear the enormous benefits of understanding AI.. If your social feed defines your spending habits or you’ve downloaded the latest filter to see what you’ll look like when you are old or now connect with your doctor using an app, have applied for a job online or used your phone to arrive at work in record time, AI is playing a part in how you live, work and play. We live in an era where machines are taught to learn and act without human intervention and there are infinite possibilities to their applications. The risk of these technologies biasing against you is real, and this book will give you tools to navigate the current and future developments consciously. As well as explaining the risks Tabitha lays out the awesome benefits AI can offer. From spotting disease to tailoring education and tackling climate change the potential rewards are life-changing. Starting with a potted history, Tabitha shines a light on the many unsung heroines since the rise of AI in the 1960s. In conversation with Karen Hao she simply demonstrates how the technology works (and sometimes doesn’t work!) and interviews a cross-section of women who use AI in their work today including Jeanette Winterson, Sharmadean Reid, Martha Lane Fox and Hannah Fry. This book doesn’t just present the challenge; Tabitha offers supportive practical advice and shares an extensive list of books, films, courses and more for further exploration. However it is that you identify with womanhood, wherever you are in life, and whatever you do, this technology is inescapable and now is your time to make sure AI works for you – and not you for it!

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mahogany is about the passing of time and unimaginable loss, strength, humor, and love/>/>mahogany takes its name from the dark wood prized for its durability, workability, and elegant look, and from the Diana Ross movie, whose theme song asks if what lies ahead is what you really want. This book is the third in a trilogy, and like the first two books it is steeped in pop music. Each poem here takes its title from a line of a Diana Ross and The Supremes song, as well as songs from Diana Ross' solo career. Short lines flow down the page like postmodern psalms, connecting dailyness to timelessness, merging the historical and the beloved through reverence for family, music, and the life we actually live. mahogany is a lament for the passing of time and unimaginable loss, and at the same time it models the daily search for joy, and the deep shine that can arise from the darkest times./>/>[sample poem]/>/>i'm like a woman who once knew splendor*/>/>/>sometimes i feel like the pink panther/>all naked and pink/>lost in the morass of/>do the best you can today/>and nigga heal thy self/>our end of winter/>spirits break/>like old tibetan snow/>i remember/>you was conflicted/>and i found myself alone/>here on my ancient hurt/>the disquieting hum/>of living history/>dear god, please/>put my head above my heart/>we can only be together/>if the stories are told/>plain face/>same instrument/>just a couple of coke bottles/>full of gasoline/>like god and rain/>is a waste of time/>my mother used to clean houses/>as a child/>some days i can barely/>get out of bed/>in my mind/>she's like diana ross/>scrubbing the white lady's stairs/>in lady sings the blues/>except prettier/>and with green eyes/>i've just been living/>off of cough drops/>and water and anger/>just sitting in the whole foods/>parking lot eating pineapple/>i am literally/>the definition of "hot mess"/>pain changes everything/>somebody come/>and pick up/>my limp body/>off the ground/>i am dying/>a slow ohio death/>we miss you starman/>it's our first sunrise of the burn

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Text in English and German. The church rises to the challenge of providing a spiritual centre for Donau City, the new residential and commercial centre on the opposite bank of the Danube -- not as an act of coronation for the city in the sense of Taut's urban crown, as a temple or cathedral, but as miniature, as a demonstration of the power of the quiet as opposed to the loud, as an 'oasis in the diaspora', to use Karl Rahner's formulation about the parishes of the future. The building gives an impression of starkness: a hard cube, cut off at the corners, clad with sheets of black chromium steel. But it is only stark at first glance. A second glance shows that the hardness is a friendly hardness: because of the reflections that the material admits; because of the grid of the large-format sheets, to which the brightly gleaming drill-holes that cover the walls like fine gossamer respond; because of circular apertures that allow light to shine outwards after dark; because of large, rectangular windows in the receding corners that create a contrast with the closed quality of the building. Inside the starkness gives way altogether: a light space, which one comes into through an art-fully designed entrance. Originally a sparse covering for the space, which thrives mainly because of the light material -- birch wood -, because of the arrangement of the pews, which is as lively as it is peaceful -- segments of circles of different sizes, surrounding the dark syenite altar block in the form of an open circle -- and especially because of the wide range of circular light sources that render the introverted interior transparent, the large windows that create islands of light, the free-form aperture in the ceiling, which sends light gliding down on to the altar. Heinz Tesar's church continues a tradition of forward-looking modern church building, from Rudolf Schwarz's Fronleichnamskirche in Aachen via Egon Eiermann's Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche in Berlin, Franz Fueg's Piuskirche in Meggen on Lake Lucerne to the new Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Munich by Allmann, Sattler and Wappner; and alongside all this there is also the tradition of a genuinely Viennese development of this theme, from Otto Wagner's Kirche am Steinhof to Ottokar Uhl's parish church Katharina von Siena.

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A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKA TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEARA SUNDAY TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR'Powerfully argued... Fascinating and pacy' Sunday Times, Book of the Week'Superbly written... sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman' The Times'Full of amazing facts' Observer'The book shines when it brings cutting-edge science to bear' Financial Times'A dizzying range of material' The Economist'A humbling story for humankind' SpectatorChallenges some of the greatest cliches about colonialism... A revelation' SATHNAM SANGHERA'Thrilling and eye-opening' LEWIS DARTNELL'Science and history at its best' MARK HONIGSBAUM'Unpicks everything we thought we knew... Mind blowing' CAL FLYNIn this revelatory book, Dr Jonathan Kennedy argues that germs have shaped humanity at every stage, from the first success of Homo sapiens over the equally intelligent Neanderthals to the fall of Rome and the rise of Islam.How did an Indonesian volcano help cause the Black Death, setting Europe on the road to capitalism? How could 168 men extract the largest ransom in history from an opposing army of eighty thousand? And why did the Industrial Revolution lead to the birth of the modern welfare state?The latest science reveals that infectious diseases are not just something that happens to us, but a fundamental part of who we are. Indeed, the only reason humans don't lay eggs is that a virus long ago inserted itself into our DNA, and there are as many bacteria in your body as there are human cells. We have been thinking about the survival of the fittest all wrong: evolution is not simply about human strength and intelligence, but about how we live and thrive in a world dominated by microbes.By exploring the startling intimacy of our relationship with infectious diseases, Kennedy shows how they have been responsible for some of the seismic revolutions of the past 50,000 years. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story, revealing how the crisis of a pandemic can offer vital opportunities for change.

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THE UPLIFTING AND HEARTWARMING LOVE LETTER TO FAMILY AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS'Cox is a natural storyteller... she brings that authentic voice to bear in her memoir. The tone is so intimate, chatty and friendly, so you feel as though she could be sitting next to you' Hannah Beckerman, Daily Express'endearing, engaging and very funny' Mirror'Coxy's memoir about growing up on a farm is as funny as you'd expect, genuinely touching and has some excellent 80s and 90s details. Her love of animals is infectious' Alexandra Heminsley, Grazia'The book is like a big warm hug, full of local characters and misadventures' Sophie Heawood, Observer'Made me laugh out loud...I loved it!' Lynda La Plante'Glorious springtime, haystacks and a herd of cows can all be found in this' Sunday Times Bestseller 'Warm and witty' - ExpressA funny and heart-warming love letter to childhood, family and growing up.Till the Cows Come Home is DJ and TV presenter Sara Cox's wonderfully written, funny coming of age memoir of growing up in 1980s Lancashire. The youngest of five siblings, Sara grew up on her father's cattle farm surrounded by dogs, cows, horses, fields and lots of 'cack'. The lanky kid sister - half girl, half forehead - a nuisance to the older kids, the farm was her very own dangerous adventure playground, 'a Bolton version of Narnia'. Her writing conjures up a time of wagon rides and haymaking and agricultural shows, alongside chain smoking pensioners, cabaret nights at the Conservative club and benign parenting. Sara's love of family, of the animals and the people around them shines through on every page. Unforgettable characters are lovingly and expertly drawn bringing to life a time and place. Sara later divided her childhood days between the beloved farm and the pub she lived above with her mother, these early experiences of freedom and adventure came to be the perfect training ground for later life.This funny, big-hearted and often moving telling of Sara Cox's semi rural upbringing is not what you'd expect from the original ladette, and one of radio's most enduring and well loved presenters.

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'Timely, necessary and important' J.K. Rowling'[This book is] guaranteed to remind us what we have still to fight for. I can't think of a single person who wouldn't benefit from reading it' Observer'Bindel is a rock star of second-wave feminism . . . an important, courageous book' The Times'Bindel delivers a robust call to arms in every chapter . . . this book could not be timelier . . . As a young feminist who has finally seen the light, I consider it essential reading' The CriticFeminism is a quest for the liberation of women from patriarchy. Feminism strives for a world in which women are not oppressed. Feminism prioritises exposing and ending male violence towards women and girls.This is Julie Bindel's feminism, a definition born of 40 years at the front line of the feminist movement. Why then, she asks, is feminism the only social justice movement in the world that is expected to prioritise every other issue before pursuing its own objective of women's liberation? Why does the movement appear to be moving backwards, accommodating the rights and feelings of men and leaving women in the cold? Women make up half the global population yet why is feminism still treated as a minority movement?In this searing and ground-breaking book, Bindel deconstructs the many pervasive myths about feminism - Do women really want what men have? Can men be feminists? Are women liberated by sexual violation? - assessing whether feminism has achieved its goals and debunking theories that second wave feminism is irrelevant and one-dimensional. Bindel shines a light on the most important issues, including pornography, sexual violence and prostitution. Drawing on Bindel's own experiences, as well as countless interviews with women and girls of all ages and backgrounds (as well as contributions from commentators such as Gloria Steinem and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), Feminism for Women presents a clear-sighted view of why feminism is a proud social movement that every woman on the planet benefits from.The invisible forces of misogyny affect us all. This book is a call to arms to reclaim feminism for all women. Only together can we resist and overcome.

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The editors of Texas Monthly celebrate the ever-evolving culinary landscape of the Lone Star State in this stunning cookbook, featuring more than 100 recipes, gorgeous color photos, and insightful essays.When it comes to food, Texas may be best known for its beloved barbecue and tacos. But at more than 29 million people, the state is one of the most culturally diverse in America—and so is its culinary scene. From the kolaches introduced by Czechs settlers to the Hill Country in the 1800s to the Viet-Cajun crawfish that Vietnamese immigrants blessed Houston with in the early 2000s, the tastes on offer here are as vast and varied as the 268,596 square miles of earth they spring from.In The Big Texas Cookbook, the editors of the award-winning magazine Texas Monthly have gathered an expansive collection of recipes that reflects the state’s food traditions, eclectically grouped by how Texans like to start and end the day (Rise and Shine, There Stands the Glass), how they revere their native-born ingredients (Made in Texas), and how they love the people, places, and rituals that surround their favorite meals (On Holiday, Home Plates). Getting their very own chapters—no surprise—are the behemoths mentioned above, barbecue and Tex-Mex (Smoke Signals, Con Todo). With recipes for über-regional specialties like venison parisa, home cooking favorites like King Ranch casserole, and contemporary riffs like a remarkable Lao beef chili, The Big Texas Cookbook pays homage to the cooks who long ago shaped the state’s food culture and the ones who are building on those traditions in surprising and delightful ways.Packed with atmospheric photos, illustrations, and essays, The Big Texas Cookbook is a vivid culinary portrait of the land, its people, and its past, present, and future.

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Based on the popular and revolutionary PBS multiplatform documentary project, an inspiring and striking photographic portrait that brilliantly captures the tumultuous, historic year that was 2020, offering an intimate look at the heart and soul of our national life and what it means to be an American today, revealed through the stories of ordinary people from sea to shining sea.Everyone has a story . . . In January 2020, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, PBS launched an ambitious national storytelling project, American Portrait, inviting people across the country to participate in a national conversation about what it means to be an American today. The multiplatform experience, including a television series that will air on PBS stations nationwide in January 2021, has created a communal voice through the individual stories of participants—each one a unique stitch in the beautiful, diverse quilt that is America. A vivid yet nuanced snapshot of who we are, this visually striking companion volume features more than 400 entries and photographs, all which began with an answer to a simple cue: My American story started when . . .You don’t know what it’s like to . . .My greatest challenge is . . . The tradition I carry on is . . . I was raised to believe . . . What keeps me up at night is . . .I took a risk when . . .When I step outside my door . . . Most days I feel . . . Told by people of all ages, orientations, and walks of life, these unique stories of joy, adversity, love, sacrifice, grief, sharing, triumph, and grace, centered on the themes of family, work, fun, faith, and community, illuminate the struggles, hopes, dreams, and convictions of Americans today. The more we share with our fellow citizens, the more we can see a real, complex, and fascinating representation of our country that is far richer and deeper than headlines and elections tell us. As intriguing, thoughtful, and distinct as the nation it embodies, American Portrait is a photographic manifestation of Walt Whitman’s immortal words, “I am large. I contain multitudes”—and a vital and ultimately hopeful reminder that what we all share is much greater and enduring than what may divide us.

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Based on the popular and revolutionary PBS multiplatform documentary project, an inspiring and striking photographic portrait that brilliantly captures the tumultuous, historic year that was 2020, offering an intimate look at the heart and soul of our national life and what it means to be an American today, revealed through the stories of ordinary people from sea to shining sea.Everyone has a story . . . In January 2020, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, PBS launched an ambitious national storytelling project, American Portrait, inviting people across the country to participate in a national conversation about what it means to be an American today. The multiplatform experience, including a television series that will air on PBS stations nationwide in January 2021, has created a communal voice through the individual stories of participants—each one a unique stitch in the beautiful, diverse quilt that is America. A vivid yet nuanced snapshot of who we are, this visually striking companion volume features more than 400 entries and photographs, all which began with an answer to a simple cue: My American story started when . . .You don’t know what it’s like to . . .My greatest challenge is . . . The tradition I carry on is . . . I was raised to believe . . . What keeps me up at night is . . .I took a risk when . . .When I step outside my door . . . Most days I feel . . . Told by people of all ages, orientations, and walks of life, these unique stories of joy, adversity, love, sacrifice, grief, sharing, triumph, and grace, centered on the themes of family, work, fun, faith, and community, illuminate the struggles, hopes, dreams, and convictions of Americans today. The more we share with our fellow citizens, the more we can see a real, complex, and fascinating representation of our country that is far richer and deeper than headlines and elections tell us. As intriguing, thoughtful, and distinct as the nation it embodies, American Portrait is a photographic manifestation of Walt Whitman’s immortal words, “I am large. I contain multitudes”—and a vital and ultimately hopeful reminder that what we all share is much greater and enduring than what may divide us.

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'These images were taken in last 5 years (some taken in military boarding schools, some in matadors schools, some in Israel) and explore the connection between “youth” and “uniforms” and dress codes: the place of the young individual in the group that appears to be the same, the heightened traditional roles of boys and girls that comes with the uniforms, the performance that the uniforms force on young people and more. Elements that appear in previous personal works of mine fascinated me into creating this body of work. First and foremost are the contrasts. While living a military life or being a young matador is associated with violence and cruelty, I find many of them to be fragile and weak. While it is considered a manly occupation, I found many of them to be gentle and feminine. I saw it in previous series I created, of wrestlers and prisoners. While we know these people made crimes or acts of violence and cruelty, they are also weak and vulnerable at the same time. This human contrast, the ability to be two so diffident things at the same time, fascinates me. It’s a vehicle for me to create images that evokes more questions than answers. I am also attracted to the glamorous or unique different outfits, which are a symbol of the “old world”, an element from a different era. While a boy dressed with shiny beautiful outfits, from a distance might almost appear as a super hero, but these outfits also come in contrast to the defenceless gaze of the sitter. While as a group the uniforms make them look identical, when in front of the camera, the personality and uniqueness of each is reveled behind the outfits. The outfits or uniforms they wear are connected to another element which interests me and is the component of “performance”. The children almost look like playing dress up, and the school is a big theatre. Under the unity which is heightened by the uniforms, a theatre like drama is unveiled. People are constantly performing, using masks, outfits, locations, which is intensified when children are performing. I think kids grow up very fast these days, taking up adult roles and behaviours without realising it. Especially youth in uniform, is expected to perform a certain role society has created, usually a role that is designed for a more mature age. That was the case when I shot in military boarding schools for teenagers, or in circuses or in a Jewish orthodox community. These young boys and girls are trained to perform a role, a role of preserving an old conservative practice; it is education used as a programmer, infused by an agenda, done in a way both modern yet old-style. They do so with rituals and costumes and this tension between traditional and modern interest me.'

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Years after its release, Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea remains one of the most beloved and best-selling albums in all of indie music, hailed as a classic so influential as to be almost synonymous with the ongoing vinyl revival. But despite its outsized impact, a question looms even larger: why did frontman Jeff Mangum, just as the record propelled him to the brink of music superstardom, choose instead to disappear entirely? The mystery has perplexed listeners for decades-until now.In barely two years, Neutral Milk Hotel rose from house show obscurity in Athens, Georgia, to widespread hype and critical acclaim, selling out rock clubs across the country and gracing the tops of numerous year-end best-of lists. But just as his band was reaching the escape velocity necessary to ascend from indie rock success to mainstream superstar, Mangum hit the eject button. After the 1998 release of Aeroplane and a worldwide tour to support it, Mangum stopped playing shows, releasing new music, or even doing interviews. He never explained why, not even to his friends or colleagues, but thanks to both the strength of Aeroplane and his vexing decision to walk away from rock stardom, Neutral Milk Hotel's impact only grew from there. In Endless Endless, Adam Clair finds the answer to indie rock's biggest mystery, which turns out to be much more complicated and fascinating than the myths or popular speculation would have you believe. To understand Mangum and Neutral Milk Hotel and Aeroplane requires a deep dive into the unconventional inner workings of the mercurial collective from which they emerged, the legendary Elephant 6 Recording Company. Endless Endless details the rise and fall of this radical music scene, the lives and relationships of the and the colossal influence that still radiates from it, centered around the collective's accidental figurehead, one of the most idolized and misunderstood artists in the world, presenting Mangum and his collaborators in vividly human detail and shining a light into the secret world of these extraordinary and aggressively bizarre artists.Endless Endless offers unprecedented access to this notoriously mysterious collective, featuring more than 100 new interviews and dozens of forgotten old ones, along with never-before-seen photos, answering questions that have persisted for decades while also provoking new ones. In this deeply researched account, Endless Endless examines not just how the Elephant 6 came to be so much more than the sum of its parts, but how community can foster art-and how art can build community.

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This expert-curated guide book to Isle of Wight shines a spotlight on a more unusual British break, with a wealth of practical information on what to see and do. Each area or neighbourhood featured in this Isle of Wight travel guide is explored in-depth with detailed coverage of the points of interest, shops, restaurants, cafes and bars on offer. Excursions to surrounding areas give plenty of options for those looking to enjoy a longer stay. This Isle of Wight guide book has been fully updated post-COVID-19.The Pocket Rough Guide to Isle of Wight covers: Cowes and around, Newport and around, Ryde and around, The east coast, The south coast, Ventnor to Blackgang, Brighstone to Alum Bay, Yarmouth and around.Inside this travel guide to Isle of Wight you will find:RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Isle of Wight, from off-the-beaten-track adventures in Cowes to family activities in child-friendly places, like Ventnor or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like Yarmouth.INCISIVE AREA-BY-AREA OVERVIEWSCovering Ryde, Cowes, Shanklin, Yarmouth, Ventnor and more, the practical 'Places' section of this Isle of Wight travel guide provides all you need to know about must-see sights and the best places to eat, drink, sleep and shop.TIME-SAVING ITINERARIESThe routes suggested by Rough Guides' expert writers cover top attractions like The Needles and Tennyson Down and hidden gems like Robin Hill Country Park and Brading Roman Villa.DAY-TRIPSVenture further afield to Freshwater Bay or Bonchurch. This travel guide to Isle of Wight tells you why to go, how to get there, and what to see when you arrive.HONEST INDEPENDENT REVIEWSWritten with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, our expert writers will help you make the most of your trip to Isle of Wight.COMPACT FORMATPacked with pertinent practical information, this Isle of Wight guide book is a convenient companion when you're out and about exploring Shanklin Old Village.ATTRACTIVE USER-FRIENDLY DESIGNFresh magazine-style layout, inspirational colour photography and colour-coded maps throughout this Isle of Wight travel guide.PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATIONIncludes invaluable background information on how to get to Isle of Wight, getting around, tourist information, festivals and events, plus an A-Z directory.FREE EBOOK Free eBook download with every purchase of this guide book to Isle of Wight to access all the content from your phone or tablet, for on-the-road exploration.

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The #1 New York Times bestseller that started a health revolution! Discover how to finally relieve persistent symptoms, alleviate chronic disease and achieve lifelong healing. Anthony William, the Medical Medium, has helped millions of people heal from ailments that have been misdiagnosed or ineffectively treated or that doctors can't resolve on their own. Now he returns with an elevated and expanded edition of the book where he first opened the door to healing knowledge from over 30 years of bringing people's lives back. With a massive amount of healing information that science won't discover for decades, Anthony gets to the root of people's pain or illness and what they need to do to restore their health now - which has never been more important. His tools and protocols achieve spectacular results, even for those who have spent years and many thousands on all forms of medicine before turning to him. They are the answers to rising from the ashes. Medical Medium reveals the true causes of chronic symptoms, conditions and diseases that medical communities continue to misunderstand or struggle to understand at all. It explores the solutions for dozens of the illnesses that plague us, including Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, ME/CFS, hormonal imbalances, Hashimoto's disease, MS, RA, depression, neurological conditions, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, blood sugar imbalances, colitis and other digestive disorders and more. This elevated and expanded edition also offers further immune support, brand-new recipes and even more solutions for restoring the soul and spirit after illness or life events have torn at our emotional fabric. Whether you've been given a diagnosis you don't understand, or you have symptoms you don't know how to heal, or someone you love is sick, or you're a doctor who wants to care for your own patients better, Medical Medium offers the answers you need. It's also a guidebook for everyone seeking the secrets to living longer, healthier lives. Discover the reasons we suffer and how to finally heal from more than two dozen common conditions: ACHES & PAINS ADHD ADRENAL FATIGUE AGING ALZHEIMER'S AUTISM AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE BELL'S PALSY BRAIN FOG CANDIDA CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME COLITIS DEPRESSION & ANXIETY DIABETES & HYPOGLYCEMIA DIGESTIVE DISORDERS DIZZINESS EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS FIBROMYALGIA FROZEN SHOULDER INFLAMMATION LEAKY GUT SYNDROME LUPUS LYME DISEASE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS MIGRAINES & HEADACHES MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS PMS POSTPARTUM FATIGUE PTSD RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS SHINGLES THYROID DISORDERS TINGLES & NUMBNESS TMJ & JAW PAIN VERTIGO & TINNITUS 'The truth about the world, ourselves, life, purpose - it all comes down to healing,' Anthony William writes. 'And the truth about healing is now in your hands.'

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She lay so still, blue eyes shining, blonde hair fanned out, her mouth stuck forever open in a soundless scream...When Rachel Mullen is found dead by her only sister Beth, her body twisted in an arc of pain, Detective Lottie Parker knows that she has been murdered the minute she enters the bedroom. Lottie's heart aches for Beth, all alone in the world, whose last memory of her sister will forever be the brutal way she was taken. And when Lottie finds a shard of glass placed in the young girl's throat, she fears that Rachel may be just the first victim.The night before, Rachel had attended a party at a luxurious new restaurant in Ragmullin, and Lottie wastes no time in tracking down the other guests. But there are several things troubling her: Rachel's handbag and keys are nowhere to be found, and no one at the party seems to have seen her leave.Just as Lottie thinks she's onto something, her worst fears are confirmed: another woman is found murdered... with glass in her throat. The brilliant, young doctor wasn't a guest at the party and Lottie is forced to question everything.Desperate to find proof of what really happened that night, Lottie gets close to the hostess of the party, whose two daughters were friends with Rachel. But Lottie's hunt for the truth must be getting under the killer's skin, because then her beloved fiancé, Boyd, goes missing.Can Lottie get in the mind of this twisted killer before it's too late? Or will the man she loves be silenced forever?What everyone is saying about Silent Voices:'A new book in this series is like waking up on your birthday and looking forward to opening your gifts! It's book number 9 and I would not mind reading a hundred more of them with this great DI and her team.' B for Book Review, FIVE STARS'This was utterly fantastic I loved every page. A great storyline that had me hanging on to every word... holding my breath and that ending! Everything about this book was brilliant; if I could give it more than five stars I would it was awesome.' Bonnie's Book Talk, FIVE STARS'Mesmerizing! Utterly thrilling! Unputdownable! One of the best series I have ever read. It seems like nothing can stop Patricia Gibney. Her writing is excellent. The story flows like a river with no dams, but many waterfalls, and several dangerous currents. Highly recommended!' The World is Ours to Read, FIVE STARS

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This extraordinary adventure of three brothers at the center of the most dramatic turning points of World War II is “liable to break the hearts of Unbroken fans, and it’s all true” (The New York Times).They are three brothers, all Navy men, who end up coincidentally and extraordinarily at the epicenter of three of the war’s most crucial moments. Bill, a naval intelligence officer, is tapped by FDR to set up and run his secret map room in the White House basement. Benny is the gunnery and antiaircraft officer on USS Enterprise, one of the few ships to escape Pearl Harbor and, by the end of 1942, the only aircraft carrier left in the Pacific to defend against the Japanese. Barton, the youngest, gets a plum commission in the Navy Supply Corps because his mother wants him out of harm’s way. But this protection plan backfires when Barton is sent to Manila and listed as wounded and missing after a Japanese attack. Now it is up to Bill and Benny to find and rescue him… Based on a decade of research drawn from archives around the world, interviews with fellow shipmates and POWs, and half-forgotten letters stashed away in attics, The Jersey Brothers is “a captivating tour-de-force” (San Antonio Express-News) that whisks readers from America’s front porches to Roosevelt’s White House to the battlefronts of the Pacific. But at its heart The Jersey Brothers is a family story, written by one of its own in intimate, novelistic detail. It is a remarkable tale of agony and triumph; of an ordinary young man who shows extraordinary courage as the enemy does everything short of killing him; and of brotherly love tested under the tortures of war. “The Jersey Brothers shines in singularity. A blend of history, family saga and family questions, Freeman’s book [is] a winning and moving success, and adds an authoritative entry to the… vast canon of war literature” (Richmond Times Dispatch).

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Peering through the windows of private homes and Assembly Rooms alike, this book shines a new light on the middle classes during the long eighteenth century. Enlightenment thinking - the drive for order, organisation and rationality - was an underlying motive force in England's eighteenth century, influencing middle class thinking with regard to the running and improvement of business.In the same way, it shaped their choice of leisure activities. As many turned their backs on blood sports, they found that music, conversation and cards embodied rational enjoyment and exercise of human intellect and ability. For the middle classes, card play made use of skills they had in hand and could be justified on the basis of teaching the young their numbers and the importance of accounting for money lost and won. The careful score-keeping, the accounting for sums won and lost, and the order and discipline of these players' favourite card games echoed and suited their tidy lives. As important participants in polite society on the strength of their new wealth and theirincreasing social prominence, the middle classes embraced the agreeable pastimes of gentility while rejecting its dangerous extremes. Card play became a means of forming and reinforcing social and commercial bonds within complex webs of family and business circles. As they tugged the fashionable activity of gaming onto their own playing-field from the high-risk arena of the aristocracy, the middle classes were imposing order on disorder, subjecting a reckless activity to new restraints. Drawing on the personal papers of the commercial and professional classes of eighteenth-century England, A Sixpence at Whist tells the stories of these men and women at play. JANETE. MULLIN is Lecturer in History at St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick, both in Fredericton, N.B., Canada.

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“Rapp-Hooper takes on directly and convincingly the Trumpian critique that alliances are not worth the investment and have led the nation to fight other people’s battles for them…Her deep erudition, crisp prose style, and innate brilliance shine through on most every page.”—Boston Review“The threat of COVID-19 has bolstered her argument, making plain both the importance of the alliance system and the imperative to adapt alliances to new ends.”—Foreign Policy“Musters rock-solid evidence to demonstrate what policymakers have long believed: that America’s alliances are a remarkably effective foreign policy tool.”—Stephen Hadley, former National Security Advisor“Argues persuasively that the complex alliance system instituted after the devastation of World War II has proven remarkably successful.”—Kirkus ReviewsFor the first 150 years of its existence, heeding George Washington’s warning about the dangers of “entangling alliances,” the United States had just one alliance—a valuable but highly controversial military arrangement with France. That changed dramatically with the Second World War. Between 1948 and 1955, the United States extended defensive security guarantees to twenty-three countries in Europe and Asia. Seventy years later, it is allied with thirty-seven countries.Today the alliance system is threatened from without and within. China and Russia seek to break America’s alliances through conflict and non-military erosion, while US politicians and voters, skeptical of costs, believe we may be better off without them. But what if the alliance system is a victim of its own quiet success? Mira Rapp-Hooper argues that a grand strategy focused on allied defense, deterrence, and assurance helped to keep the peace throughout the Cold War and that the alliance system remains critical to America’s safety and prosperity in the twenty-first century.

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Linda France's seventh full-length collection is concerned with the dualities of our inner and outer worlds – the seeming paradoxes of self and society, language and experiment, ideal and reality. At the heart of the book is a section look at Nature and Cultivation through the life and work of the landscape gardener Capability Brown. Linda France found the title for her new collection, You are Her, on a fading information board at Hadrian's Wall, not far from where she has lived for the past 30 years. Locating and disorientating at the same time, it set the co-ordinates for a body of work on boundaries and identity, damage and absence. Her wise and generous poems seek a place of oneness amidst inner and outer worlds, riven with dualities – the seeming paradoxes of self and society, language and experience, ideal and reality.At the heart of the book is a section looking at Nature and Cultivation through the life and work of Capability Brown, who was born in Northumberland in 1716. These poems consider some pressing questions: how much control do we have over our environment? How does our state of mind reflect the world around us? What, in the end, will endure?A horse-riding accident in 1995 fractured France's spine and cracked her pelvis. This injury, although on the surface healed, re-emerged in the form of flashbacks and chronic pain ten years later when several of her friends died in close succession. Many of the poems in You are Her chart the passage of grief and resolution, a cycle of re-orientation."There is a restless energy about her work, a fascination with the paradoxes of people, the lives we lead and the society in which we live those lives, as well as a sense of the profound sadness of the passing of time, and of people.... She writes with warmth and wit of 'windows hooked with flamingo beaks'; 'the small room where all your geese are cooked' and, enamoured as she is by the work of Capability Brown, of 'landscapes erased / by tarmac and railway, time and weather.'"Keith Richmond, Tribune"One thing I liked about France's collection, and this is something one hopes to find in a poet, is that many lines and stanzas stand alone as memorable and worth rereading."Stride"France's enthusiasm for her topic shines through, her poetry bursting with flora and fauna. However, France is also able to tame that burgeoning natural world into a series of neatly trimmed poems, as she similarly controls the excesses of physical pain."The Warwick ReviewLinda France was born in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, and for the past 16 years has lived close to Hadrian's Wall, near Corbridge in Northumberland. She works as a poet, tutor, mentor and editor, often collaborating with visual artists, particularly in the field of Public Art. Since 1990 her poetry has won many awards and prizes as well as being carved into stone and wood, cast in metal, etched in glass, stitched onto fabric and printed on enamel. Her recurring themes are landscape and history, flora and fauna, love and identity.

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Elusive online investigative journalist Scott King investigates the case of Arla Macleod, who bludgeoned her family to death, in another episode of the chilling, award-winning Six Stories series.‘Bold, clever and genuinely chilling with a terrific twist that provides an explosive final punch’ Deidre O’Brien, Sunday Mirror‘A genuine genre-bending debut’ Carla McKay, Daily Mail'Impeccably crafted and gripping from start to finish’ Doug Johnstone, The Big Issue________________A family massacreA deluded murderessFive witnessesSix storiesWhich one is true?One cold November night in 2014, in a small town in the north west of England, 21-year-old Arla Macleod bludgeoned her mother, father and younger sister to death with a hammer, in an unprovoked attack known as the Macleod Massacre. Now incarcerated at a medium-security mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation.King finds himself immersed in an increasingly complex case, interviewing five witnesses and Arla herself, as he questions whether Arla’s responsibility for the massacre was a diminished as her legal team made out.As he unpicks the stories, he finds himself thrust into a world of deadly forbidden ‘games’, online trolls, and the mysterious black-eyed kids, whose presence seems to extend far beyond the delusions of a murderess…Dark, chilling and gripping, Hydra is both a classic murder mystery and an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller, that shines light in places you may never, ever want to see again.________________Praise for the Six Stories seriesMatt Wesolowski brilliantly depicts a desperate and disturbed corner of north-east England in which paranoia reigns and goodness is thwarted … an exceptional storyteller' Andrew Michael Hurley‘Beautifully written, smart, compassionate – and scary as hell. Matt Wesolowski is one of the most exciting and original voices in crime fiction’ Alex North‘Wonderfully horrifying … the suspense crackles’ James Oswald‘Original, inventive and dazzlingly clever’ Fiona Cummins‘A complex and subtle mystery, unfolding like dark origami to reveal the black heart inside’ Michael Marshall Smith‘Endlessly inventive and with literary thrills a-plenty, Matt Wesolowski is boldly carving his own uniquely dark niche in fiction’ Benjamin Myers‘Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure’ M W Craven‘Readers of Kathleen Barber’s Are You Sleeping and fans of Ruth Ware will enjoy this slim but compelling novel’ Booklist‘A relentless and original work of modern rural noir which beguiles and unnerves in equal measure. Matt Wesolowski is a major talent’ Eva Dolan‘The very epitome of a must-read’ Heat‘Haunting, horrifying, and heartrending. Fans of Arthur Machen, whose unsettling tale The White People provides an epigraph, will want to check this one out’ Publishers Weekly‘For those who like the book they curl up with in their favourite slipper socks to generate a powerful sense of unease, and impel them to check all doors are locked and as many lights turned on as possible, Matt Wesolowski has just the formula to meet your self-scaring needs… ‘ Strong Words

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**PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS ONE SNOWY WEEK IN SPRINGHOLLOW** 'This gorgeous Christmassy second chance love story was exactly what I needed to warm my heart and soothe my soul' Rachel Burton When old friends return, sparks ignite this Christmas in Springhollow... Tomboy Scarlett thought Devon would be her best friend forever. He was the only person in Springhollow who supported her ambitious artist dreams. But then one winter, Devon and his parents disappear without warning to start a new life in NYC and a devastated Scarlett is left alone to face her high-school bullies and overbearing mother. Fast-forward ten years: Scarlett is playing it safe in her childhood village with a dull PA job and a wardrobe that passes her mother's old-fashioned standards. Meanwhile, Devon is a Hollywood heartthrob, starring in the latest superhero blockbuster. And he's finally coming home for Christmas... Scarlett can't help blaming her former best friend for the way her life has turned out, but Devon's cheeky charm and gorgeous smile prove difficult to resist. Devon always did make her feel on top of the world, but Scarlett knows her heart isn't racing just because she has her friend back. Is it mistletoe madness, or is she seeing Devon in a completely new light? Could this Christmas of second chances finally be her time to shine? Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jo Thomas and Holly Martin. Readers LOVE One Snowy Week in Springhollow 'I really loved this story' 5* Review 'A super read - quite possibly Lucy's best yet!' 5* Review 'A wonderful story of friendship, love, superheroes and being true to yourself' 5* Review 'Wow, what a great story' 5* Review 'A story you must pick up and devour over a mug of hot chocolate, curled up under a blanket' 5* Review

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A Telegraph Book of the YearA Guardian Book of the YearA Shindig Book of the Year A Virgin Radio Book of the YearAwarded the certificate of merit in the 2023 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for ExcellenceIn 1970, pop was in trouble. The Beatles were no more. Pink Floyd devoted themselves to progressive epics. Led Zeppelin dismissed anything beyond their 'musical statements' as childish frippery. Thankfully, help was on its way.This comprehensive chronicle by music historian Will Hodgkinson explores how an unlikely mix of backroom songwriters, revitalised rockers, actors, producers, teen stars and children turned pop into the dominant sound and vision of the 1970s.While bands such as the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac were ruling the albums chart, the singles chart was swinging along to the tune of million-selling blockbusters by the likes of Brotherhood of Man, the Sweet and the Wombles. These were the songs you heard on Radio 1, during Saturday-night TV, at youth clubs, down the pub and even emanating from your parents' record player...It was never cool, but it was the real soundtrack of the decade.Against a rainy, smog-filled backdrop of three-day weeks, national strikes, IRA bombings and the Winter of Discontent, this unrelenting stream of novelty songs, sentimental ballads, glam-rock stomps and blatant rip-offs offered escape, uplift, romance and the promise of eternal childhood - all released with one goal in mind: a smash hit.In Perfect Harmony takes the reader on a journey through the most colour-saturated era in music, examining the core themes and camp spectacle of '70s singalong pop, as well as its reverberations through British culture since. This is the pioneering social history of a musical revolution.

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A new account of the life and turbulent times of Joan, the wife of the Black Prince and mother of Richard II. Anthony Goodman's brilliant yet accessible scholarship draws in the reader in the most entertaining and vibrant way. He was one of our greatest historians of the later medieval period, whose warm humanity shines forth in his writing. He has given us, as a parting gift, the definitive biography of an exceptional, intriguing woman. I cannot recommend it highly enough. ALISON WEIR Joan Plantagenet (1328-1385), acclaimed in her youth as the "FairMaid of Kent", became notorious for making both a clandestine and a bigamous marriage in her teens and, in her thirties, a scandalous marriage to her kinsman, Edward III's son and heir, Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince. Despite these transgressions, she later became one of the most influential people in the realm and a highly respected source of stability. Her life provides a distinctive perspective of a noblewoman at the heart of affairs in fourteenth-century England, a period when the Crown, despite enjoying some striking triumphs, also faced a series of political and social crises which shook conventional expectations. Furthermore, her life adds depth to our understanding of a time when marriage began to be regarded not just as a dynastic arrangement but a contract freely entered into by a couple. This accessibly written account of her life sets her in the full context of her world, and vividlyportrays a spirited medieval woman who was determined to be mistress of her fate and to make a mark in challenging times. The late Anthony Goodman was Professor Emeritus of Medieval and Renaissance History at the University of Edinburgh. His numerous publications include John of Gaunt; The Wars of the Roses; and Margery Kempe and Her World.

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"The Luftwaffe - the German Air Force - will no longer have a decisive influence on the outcome of World War II, no matter how long it takes to beat Hitler." It is more than two years since I first heard these words. The man who spoke them to me continued: "No doubt, we will hear of the Luftwaffe before the war is over. We will hear a lot. But don't let us be deceived. No matter what happens, the Luftwaffe can never be used as a strategic first-line weapon within the Nazi plan. It can play no role but that of a tactical and auxiliary weapon." Curt Reiss, December 1943. Can it really be true that in 1941 insiders knew the Luftwaffe was a spent force; and a failed organization? This remarkable, but little-known book was written in 1943 and published in 1944. It argues, with remarkable clarity how incompetence at the highest level, both in planning and strategy led the Luftwaffe - pushed by the Nazi Party - to adopt a policy that left it hopelessly stretched and exposed. Little known facts shine out - such as the policy of failing to produce spares led the Luftwaffe to lose 2,500 aircraft during the invasion of Poland alone. The regime designed the Luftwaffe for Blitzkrieg, and Blitzkrieg alone. When a long-haul set in on an eastern front, on an African front and later on a western front, the collapse of Germany became simply inevitable. Crammed full of fascinating detail, and displaying much prescience, this book leaves the reader with the distinct impression that the much-vaunted German efficiency suffered from the dead-hand of the Nazi Party with its corruption and its contradictions. The insights into Goering and his wholesale thefts to fund a lavish life-style add colour to the picture of his incompetence.

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Shifting from external to internal set-up steps and optimizing your set-up procedure is only the first step in achieving world-class performance. What’s most important is what comes next, cutting down internal set-up times and achieving changeovers that last only a few minutes.Quick Changeover Concepts Applied: Dramatically Reduce Set-Up Time and Increase Production Flexibility with SMED provides a comprehensive overview of changeovers from a strategic, tactical, and operational perspective. It outlines specific strategies that can help readers shorten internal set-up steps through the physical analysis of machine elements. The method presented is the result of a synthesis of Shigeo Shingo’s classic single-minute exchange of die (SMED) methodology with modern engineering techniques. Providing readers with the understanding required to significantly reduce internal set-up times, the book explains why efficient changeovers are critical to production scheduling. It redefines set-up and set-up time and details a step-by-step method for developing quick changeover methods in a manner where changes can be realized with minimal spending. Properly implemented, the quick changeover concepts presented, can help you reduce set-up times by up to 95 percent.The book uses language that is easy to understand to make it accessible to all functions along the value stream—from shop floor operators and industrial engineers to machine designers. It introduces the concept of systems engineering, explains the set-up process and its various elements, and addresses the financial aspects of set-up.Maintaining an analytical focus, the text describes the theoretical details and includes numerous application examples for every step. It also includes an extensive chapter on fasteners and connection material that presents alternative methods to connect elements that can save you valuable time.

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NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER "This book will shine new light on your journey, ignite your practice with new power, inspire new possibilities for growth, and infuse your life with the grace and confidence you seek." —Baron Baptiste A little over a decade ago, Baron Baptiste published his seminal book, Journey into Power. The first of its kind, it introduced the world to Baptiste Yoga, his signature method that marries a lifetime of studying with some of the world’s most renowned yoga masters with his uniquely powerful approach to inner and outer transformation. Since then, yoga has steadily moved into the mainstream in our culture, and Baron’s unique contribution has played a key role. As millions of participants incorporate yoga into their daily lives, Baron’s teachings have evolved to bring them even deeper into their own transformative possibilities. Perfectly Imperfect: The Art and Soul of Yoga Practice takes readers beyond the foundations of the practice by speaking to everything that happens in their bodies and minds after they get into a yoga pose. That is where the true transformation occurs, and where much rich spiritual and emotional growth is available. Readers will learn how to move through their lives with grace and flow, begin again when a situation becomes difficult, "be a yes" for their innermost desires, give up what they must, follow their intuition, and find their truth north. With his signature blend of boldness, insightfulness, humor, and warmth, Baron offers what is destined to be an instant classic in the yoga and meditation world. With Perfectly Imperfect, he proves once again to be a true yoga master for the modern world.

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Enacted in 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act – now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides all children with the right to a free and appropriate public education. On the face of it, the IDEA is a shining example of law’s democratizing impulse. But is that really the case? In Disabled Education, Ruth Colker digs deep beneath the IDEA’s surface and reveals that the IDEA contains flaws that were evident at the time of its enactment that limit its effectiveness for poor and minority children. Both an expert in disability law and the mother of a child with a hearing impairment, Colker learned first-hand of the Act’s limitations when she embarked on a legal battle to persuade her son’s school to accommodate his impairment. Colker was able to devote the considerable resources of a middle-class lawyer to her struggle and ultimately won, but she knew that the IDEA would not have benefitted her son without her time-consuming and costly legal intervention. Her experience led her to investigate other cases, which confirmed her suspicions that the IDEA best serves those with the resources to advocate strongly for their children. The IDEA also works only as well as the rest of the system does: struggling schools that serve primarily poor students of color rarely have the funds to provide appropriate special education and related services to their students with disabilities. Through a close examination of the historical evolution of the IDEA, the actual experiences of children who fought for their education in court, and social science literature on the meaning of “learning disability,” Colker reveals the IDEA’s shortcomings, but also suggests ways in which resources might be allocated more evenly along class lines.

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How a nineteenth-century lawsuit over the estate of a wealthy Tunisian Jew shines new light on the history of belongingIn the winter of 1873, Nissim Shamama, a wealthy Jew from Tunisia, died suddenly in his palazzo in Livorno, Italy. His passing initiated a fierce lawsuit over his large estate. Before Shamama's riches could be disbursed among his aspiring heirs, Italian courts had to decide which law to apply to his estate—a matter that depended on his nationality. Was he an Italian citizen? A subject of the Bey of Tunis? Had he become stateless? Or was his Jewishness also his nationality? Tracing a decade-long legal battle involving Jews, Muslims, and Christians from both sides of the Mediterranean, The Shamama Case offers a riveting history of citizenship across regional, cultural, and political borders.On its face, the crux of the lawsuit seemed simple: To which state did Shamama belong when he died? But the case produced hundreds of pages in legal briefs and thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees before the man's estate could be distributed among his quarrelsome heirs. Jessica Marglin follows the unfolding of events, from Shamama's rise to power in Tunis and his self-imposed exile in France, to his untimely death in Livorno and the clashing visions of nationality advanced during the lawsuit. Marglin brings to life a Dickensian array of individuals involved in the case: family members who hoped to inherit the estate; Tunisian government officials; an Algerian Jewish fixer; rabbis in Palestine, Tunisia, and Livorno; and some of Italy’s most famous legal minds.Drawing from a wealth of correspondence, legal briefs, rabbinic opinions, and court rulings, The Shamama Case reimagines how we think about Jews, the Mediterranean, and belonging in the nineteenth century.

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When Elf was first released in 2003 it was an instant hit, and has become one of the few films of the new millennium to earn its place in the pantheon of classic Christmas cinema. Now fans can enjoy the hilarious and heartwarming story in a whole new way. Buddy the Elf has more Christmas spirit than anyone, but he s never quite fit in with the other North Pole elves. It all makes sense when he learns he s actually a human and his father is on the naughty list! Determined to bring his father some Christmas cheer, Buddy sets out on an epic journey to New York City, where he discovers the joy of revolving doors, unmasks a fake department store Santa, and works in a shiny mailroom. But Buddy s dad only cares about money and work! When Santa encounters disaster on Christmas Eve, can Buddy count on his new family to help him save Christmas? Kim Smith s adorable illustrations give a classic feel to this modern holiday tale. Featuring all of the iconic moments and laugh-out-loud lines from the film, this story of infectious Christmas spirit in the face of cynicism is a must-have for Elf fans of all ages. Series Overview: The films and TV shows that families love are reimagined as lively, colorful picture books featuring the iconic moments and characters of the original. Simple words are paired with a kid-friendly storybook format that s perfect for bedtime or storytime, plus all-new illustrations done in classic picture book style to make this series a great way for parents to share their pop culture favorites with a new generation. Though the movie and TV versions came first, you ll wonder if they weren t adaptations of these books, instead of the other way around!

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Big government, big business, big everything: Kirkpatrick Sale took giantism to task in his 1980 classic, Human Scale, and today takes a new look at how the crises that imperil modern America are the inevitable result of bigness grown out of control—and what can be done about it. The result is a keenly updated, carefully argued case for bringing human endeavors back to scales we can comprehend and manage—whether in our built environments, our politics, our business endeavors, our energy plans, or our mobility. Sale walks readers back through history to a time when buildings were scaled to the human figure (as was the Parthenon), democracies were scaled to the societies they served, and enterprise was scaled to communities. Against that backdrop, he dissects the bigger-is-better paradigm that has defined modern times and brought civilization to a crisis point. Says Sale, retreating from our calamity will take rebalancing our relationship to the environment; adopting more human-scale technologies; right-sizing our buildings, communities, and cities; and bringing our critical services—from energy, food, and garbage collection to transportation, health, and education—back to human scale as well. Like Small is Beautiful by E. F. Schumacher, Human Scale has long been a classic of modern decentralist thought and communitarian values—a key tool in the kit of those trying to localize, create meaningful governance in bioregions, or rethink our reverence of and dependence on growth, financially and otherwise. Rewritten to interpret the past few decades, Human Scale offers compelling new insights on how to turn away from the giantism that has caused escalating ecological distress and inequality, dysfunctional governments, and unending warfare and shines a light on many possible pathways that could allow us to scale down, survive, and thrive.

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A young boy goes on a journey to meet the Sun and discovers his inner light, in this wondrous picture book debut from the NYT-Bestselling graphic novelist of Not Funny Ha-Ha.A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2023!“A boy befriends the sun in a story that will fill readers with the deep warmth emanating from its two lead characters. I wasn’t prepared for this book and the affecting warmth of its wisdom.” —Cartoonist and illustrator R. Kikuo Johnson"A beautiful exploration of the inner light in all of us." —Cartoonist and animator Dash ShawHis mother says it's too far away. His dad says it's too hot. And his brother says he has more important things to do. But none of this discourages a young boy from pursuing his plan: to fly up into the sky to touch the Sun, whose light always feels so nice on his skin. And so, off he goes, all by himself.Warm and kindly, the Sun shows the boy the world from her perspective: her friends the clouds, the beaches upon which she shines down, the trees she's grown, the rainbows she creates. In return, the boy shares with her some of his dreams, fears, hopes, and uncertainties—complexities of the human condition that the Sun, as a cosmic force of constant light, has never experienced. In this way, the boy begins to understand something about the pattern of light and shadow that makes up every human life. And when it's time to part ways, the boy returns home to his family changed, with an inner light that reminds him that the cosmic force of the sun is in him, too, always, though darkness falls, though he sleeps and dreams, though doubts and fears and gloominess come, too.

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'This is a rip-roaring read, full of derring-do and sometimes comic, often foolhardy bravery. [Jenny] sounds an absolute hoot, and her book is never anything less' – Daily Mail ‘A fascinating and quirky take on how easily we can be hoodwinked and hacked. Next time you hear anyone complain about the cost of cyber-protection, hand them a copy of People Hacker. It could save them a fortune’ – The Times -------'From an early age, locked doors, high fences and the secrets kept by businesses, buildings and people, fascinated me. I wanted to find out what they wanted to hide away.' A burglar for hire, con-artist and expert in deception and physical infiltration – Jenny Radcliffe is a professional people hacker. After being schooled in the art of breaking and entering by her family, she became an expert social engineer, doing an insider’s job to exploit the flaws and weaknesses in top-grade security operations. In People Hacker, Jenny reveals how she uses her inimitable blend of psychology, stagecraft and charm to gain access to top-grade private and commercial properties. From the back streets of Liverpool to the City of London's Square Mile, across rooftops, cellars and staircases in Europe to the mansions of gangsters in the Far East, Jenny has risked it all to earn the title ‘People Hacker’. This is Jenny insider’s account of how her working-class upbringing, northern sense of humour and femininity in a male-dominated industry all helped her to become one of the most sought-after social engineers in the world. Told in her trademark colourful style, and packed full of stories of the crazy and dangerous situations she has found herself in along the way, Jenny shines a light on the security mistakes we all make – and how to avoid them.

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Miss Dior is a wartime story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal and 'a gripping story' (Antonia Fraser). *A new Apple TV drama series starring Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior, in a role inspired by Justine Picardie's Miss Dior, has been announced for 14 February 2024*'Exceptional . . . Miss Dior is so much more than a biography. It's about how necessity can drive people to either terrible deeds or acts of great courage, and how beauty can grow from the worst kinds of horror.'DAILY TELEGRAPHMiss Dior explores the relationship between the visionary designer Christian Dior and his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity. Justine Picardie's journey takes her to wartime Paris, where Christian honed his couture skills while Catherine dedicated herself to the French Resistance and the battle against the Nazis, until she was captured by the Gestapo and deported to the German concentration camp of Ravensbrück.Tracing the wartime paths of the Dior siblings leads Picardie deep into other hidden histories, and different forms of resistance and sisterhood. She discovers what it means to believe in beauty and hope, despite our knowledge of darkness and despair, and reveals the timeless solace of the natural world in the aftermath of devastation and destruction. *A beautiful, full colour package featuring over 200 archival images.*'Extraordinary . . . Picardie uses her investigative reporting skills . . . the result is Netflix-worthy and the pace page-turning . . . Catherine's story shines - the quiet Dior who preferred flowers to fashion, the unsung heroine who survived the abuse of the Third Reich to help liberate France.'SUNDAY TIMES

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'Paradise haunts gardens', writes Derek Jarman, 'and it haunts mine.' Jarman's public image is that of a film-maker of genius, whose work, dwelling on themes of sexuality and violence, became a byword for controversy. But the private man was the creator of his own garden-paradise in an environment that many might think was more of a hell than a heaven - in the flat, bleak, often desolate expanse of shingle that faces the Dungeness nuclear power station. Jarman, a passionate gardener from childhood, combined his painter's eye, his horticultural expertise and his ecological convictions to produce a landscape which combined the flints, shells and driftwood of Dungeness; sculptures made from stones, old tools and found objects; the area's indigenous plants; and shrubs and flowers introduced by Jarman himself. This book is Derek Jarman's own record of how this garden evolved, from its earliest beginnings in 1986 to the last year of his life. More than 150 photographs taken since 1991 by his friend and photographer Howard Sooley capture the garden at all its different stages and at every season of the year. Photographs from all angles reveal the garden's complex geometrical plan, its magical stone circles and its beautiful and bizarre sculptures. We also catch glimpses of Jarman's life in Dungeness: walking, weeding, watering, or just enjoying life. Derek Jarman's Garden is the last book Jarman ever wrote. Like the garden itself, it remains as a fitting memorial to a brilliant and greatly loved artist who, against all odds, made a breathtakingly beautiful garden in the most inhospitable of places. It will appeal to all those who are themselves practising gardeners, as well as the legions of admirers of this extraordinary man.

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This is the first book ever to present the authentic ninja techniques in a highly accessible, illustrated 'how to' format. The shadowy figure of the ninja – expert commando, secret agent, maverick who operates outside social norms – continues to exert fascination in the West, yet much of what is presented as ninja fact today is distorted or wrong. Drawing on the scrolls created by historical Japanese ninjas (or shinobi, as they were then known), this book offers the real ninja teachings in 150 easy-to-follow, illustrated lessons designed to draw contemporary students of ninja straight into the world of these skilled spy-commandos. The truth about the ninja is so much more complex and intriguing than the Hollywood clichés we know today. We may think, for example, of a ninja as being always garbed in black and fighting with 'throwing stars' but in fact, a ninja had clothes in different colours to serve as disguises for different times of day, and their arsenal of weaponry could include anything from poison, poison gas, pepper spray and fire-creating tools to swords, spears and knives (but no throwing stars). The 150 lessons in this book cover all the basics of ninja warcraft, including clever ideas for infiltrating an enemy compound (from wearing 'silent sandals' to faking passes and passwords), tactics for hiding and retreat (in the racoon dog retreat, a ninja will crouch low and halt, allowing the pursuer to collide with him at speed, whereupon the agent kills his enemy), and ways of crossing marshes and water (for example, with special shoes made of boards, or using a foldaway floating seat). The description is made all the more vivid by step-by-step photographs of the fighting techniques, diagrams outlining military tactics and beautiful samples of Japanese calligraphy.

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'Don't send him to Torremolinos; it's not his kind of tundra.' Such was the mantra of The Sunday Times when considering assignments for Brian Jackman, for whom deserts, rain forests and mountain ranges have always been more enticing habitats. After decades spent travelling and writing about the places and wildlife that have inspired him, one of the world's most experienced naturalists has turned his focus onto the story of his inspirational life. 'This is no ordinary autobiography', he says. West with the Light sweeps through Jackman's wartime evacuation, grammar school, Soho jazz clubs of the '50s and the navy to a career in travel journalism to which his first marriage gave way before he found a new, true and more lasting love that abides to this day in his beloved rural Dorset. Beginning with memories of Edwardian London and the growth of suburbia, it provides a vivid portrayal of post-war travel and the rise of a new sort of tourism - ecotourism - set against the background of the most turbulent decades the world has ever known. Through it all shines Jackman's lifelong love of nature, instilled by childhood holidays in the West country and the stories that led to his passion for Africa and the big cats that that still walk through his life and dreams. Rippling across continents with Jackman's natural charm and hallmark stylish prose, his recollections include lively first-hand encounters with pioneering wildlife conservationists like George and Joy Adamson, Iain and Saba Douglas-Hamilton, Richard Leakey, Gavin Maxwell and Jonathan Scott. Travellers, wildlife enthusiasts, writers and anyone with a love of adventure will adore this book.

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'Nikola's best yet . . . I was immediately drawn into the story, rooting for the characters all the way to the end. Atmospheric and compelling. I loved it!' Lorna Cook'A fascinating novel packed with intrigue, heart and emotion . . . brought the realities and attitudes of post-war London to life through a complex and delightful character for whom I was rooting all the way' Louise Fein'This beautiful story stole my heart. A compelling read for anyone who loves great stories, love and romance, mysteries and secrets . . . I tore through it!' Lizzie PageIt's 1953. Memories of the war are beginning to fade. Young Queen Elizabeth has just ascended to the throne. Isobel McIntyre is a doctor-in-training at a London teaching hospital. It's not easy being a woman working in medicine. And Isobel carries the additional burden of a shocking secret . . . One night three years ago, Isobel took on the identity of someone else. By the time she understood the implications, it was too late to turn back. Now the secret she's been hiding for so long threatens everything - her career, new-found friendships, and a love affair that promises the kind of joy Isobel thought was only for others. Love and happiness can't thrive in a world of lies. But does Isobel have the courage to tell the truth, whatever the consequences?Readers love The Life I Stole:'I loved this book from the beginning . . . I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Nikola Scott's books to anyone' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A fascinating novel packed with intrigue, heart and emotion . . . Scott's historical detail from extensive research shines through on every page, transporting her reader through time and place' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I tore through the book . . . this is a compelling read' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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The thirteenth century brought new urgency to Catholic efforts to convert non-Christians, and no Catholic ruler was more dedicated to this undertaking than King Louis IX of France. His military expeditions against Islam are well documented, but there was also a peaceful side to his encounter with the Muslim world, one that has received little attention until now. This splendid book shines new light on the king’s program to induce Muslims—the “apple of his eye”—to voluntarily convert to Christianity and resettle in France. It recovers a forgotten but important episode in the history of the Crusades while providing a rare window into the fraught experiences of the converts themselves.William Chester Jordan transforms our understanding of medieval Christian-Muslim relations by telling the stories of the Muslims who came to France to live as Christians. Under what circumstances did they willingly convert? How successfully did they assimilate into French society? What forms of resistance did they employ? In examining questions like these, Jordan weaves a richly detailed portrait of a dazzling yet violent age whose lessons still resonate today.Until now, scholars have dismissed historical accounts of the king’s peaceful conversion of Muslims as hagiographical and therefore untrustworthy. Jordan takes these narratives seriously—and uncovers archival evidence to back them up. He brings his findings marvelously to life in this succinct and compelling book, setting them in the context of the Seventh Crusade and the universalizing Catholic impulse to convert the world.

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In Corrupting Youth, Peter Euben explores the affinities between Socratic philosophy and Athenian democratic culture as a way to think about issues of politics and education, both ancient and modern. The book moves skillfully between antiquity and the present, from ancient to contemporary political theory, and from Athenian to American democracy. It draws together important recent work by political theorists with the views of classical scholars in ways that shine new light on significant theoretical debates such as those over discourse ethics, rational choice, and political realism, and on political issues such as school vouchers and education reform. Euben not only argues for the generative capacity of classical texts and Athenian political thought, he demonstrates it by thinking with them to provide a framework for reflecting more deeply about socially divisive issues such as the war over the canon and the "politicization" of the university. Drawing on Aristophanes' Clouds, Sophocles' Antigone and Oedipus Tyrannos, and Plato's Apology of Socrates, Gorgias, and Protagoras, Euben develops a view of democratic political education. Arguing that Athenian democratic practices constituted a tradition of accountability and self-critique that Socrates expanded into a way of doing philosophy, Euben suggests a necessary reciprocity between political philosophy and radical democracy. By asking whether we can or should take "Socrates" out of the academy and put him back in front of a wider audience, Euben argues for anchoring contemporary higher education in appreciative yet skeptical encounter with the dramatic figure in Plato's dialogues.

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