Search results for ""author pierre""

What is a Buddhist monastery? We might define it as a long-term residence of monastics, whether monks or nuns, but even this basic definition fails to cover the whole Buddhist world. In all periods and regions, the architectural, social, and religious organization of Buddhist places of worship and monastic residence have varied considerably. This collection is the result of an international research program conducted by the Bangkok branch of the Ecole francaise d’Extreme-Orient between 1997 and 2003. The simple and straightforward title belies the uniqueness of the work, for this is the only comprehensive study presenting a clear geographical and historical overview of Buddhist monasteries throughout Asia, especially Southeast Asia, and particularly in Thailand.

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Providing an overview of urban social movements from a diverse range of empirical and theoretical perspectives, this Handbook includes not only a critical analysis of the transformations that have occurred in the urban landscape recently, but also sheds light on the strategies implemented by social actors in various socio-political and cultural contexts. It focuses on better understanding how and to what extent collective action around urban issues remains relevant in our modern world.Top international scholars introduce the main features of urban movements from countries and cities around the world, including across Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America, to highlight their diversity as well as the multiple scales through which they are employed. The Handbook first documents the concrete forms of contemporary urban movements, before highlighting new developments in the field, particularly in the face of new forms of communication, and finally examines the specificity of contemporary urban movements in the context of emerging unexpected local and global challenges.With a broad range of case studies and in-depth coverage of key issues, this Handbook is critical reading for urban studies and social movement studies scholars. The practical advice offered throughout also makes this an invigorating read for representatives of international institutions working on urban policies and development, as well as urban activists looking for a more in-depth study of the field.

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The Delphs are an artificial species who depend entirely on an extremely rare substance, that not only allows them to live and reproduce, but also fuels their creative talents - for the Delphs are the most sought-after storytellers in the galaxy. They call upon Galaxity to find a new source of it, as their own is exhausted. The problem is, the only available deposit is on 21st century Earth, and the agents on station... are still going to high school!

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Texas Jack is a legendary hero, a crack shot and a champion of the helpless who gunned down dozens of enemies... in his travelling show and the novels that bear his name! In reality, though, he's never been west, and has never shot at anyone. So when a government agent asks him to go to Wyoming to face a bloodthirsty maniac, his first reaction is to say no. Yet to preserve his reputation, he eventually takes the job, and leaves with his three co-stars in the show...

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A burgeoning tourism industry accompanied by a growing demand for employees has translated into an increasing need for tourism education to adequately prepare the workforce to serve the present and future needs of the industry. This unique Handbook provides an international perspective on contemporary issues and future directions in the field. Contributions draw on a wide range of disciplinary perspectives and focus on the full spectrum of teaching and learning techniques in higher education, from undergraduate programme to the supervision of research students. Key topics include assurance of learning, development of skills, learning in the field, work-integrated learning, sustainability and critical studies, internationalization, technology-enabled learning, links between teaching and research, and graduate student supervision. Within these topics, attention is devoted to the discussion of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, students, educators, and trends and issues. An invaluable resource for understanding teaching and learning theory and practice in tourism, this Handbook will be an essential guide for tourism and hospitality educators, PhD students studying in the area of higher education, and educational designers and higher education researchers. It will inspire teaching and learning innovation by providing ideas, examples and future directions.Contributors include: D. Airey, K. Andereck, C. Arcodia, F. Aubke, R. Ballantyne, J.E. Barth, P. Benckendorff, P. Bingre do Amaral, M. Birkle, A. Blackman, A. Boyle, J. Caldicott, L. Cantoni, V.A. Carreira, D. Cotterell, R. Craggs, E. Crossley, J.C. Crotts, W.G. Croy, V. Cuffy, J.R. Edelheim, C. Fanning, J.-A. Ferreira, B.P. George, R. Goodman, C. Gorman, K. Griffin, A. Hergesell, F. Higgins-Desbiolles, A.-M. Hjalager, P.J. Holladay, E. Holmberg, L. Horton-Tognazzini, C.H.C. Hsu, K. Hughes, G. Jennings, O. Junek, U. Kachel, M. Kachniewska, N. Kalbaska, M. Karlqvist, S. Kensbock, B. King, J.J. Liburd, K. Lyons, C. Macleod, A. Maguire, A. Milman, C. Moessenlechner, M. Morellato, Z. Mottiar, J. Murphy, A. Mylonas, A. Pachmaye, G.C. Papageorgiou, A. Para, P.L. Pearce, B. Quinn, S. Rawlinson, D. Reiser, J. Ritalahti, P. Ryan, T. Ryan, N. Scherle, S. Schweinsberg, M.-A. Smith, D.P. Stergiou, M.A. Tarrant, L. Vanzo, C. Vertesi, S. Wearing, A. Williams, J. Willison, E. Wilson, P. Wiltshier, N. Wise, T. Young, A. Zehrer, Q.H. Zhang

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Services account for three quarters of GDP in many countries but less than a quarter of global trade. This insightful volume assesses recent evidence on services trade barriers, the extent to which preferential trade agreements liberalize trade in services and whether such liberalization benefits only participants or extends to non-member countries. It provides an excellent overview of the state of knowledge in this important area, as well as a number of detailed case studies of recent trade agreements that include services.'- Bernard Hoekman, European University Institute, Italy'Sky-high barriers to services trade are the foremost obstacle confronting 21st century trade ministers and create a major impediment to global growth. Ministers have made commendable progress in several regional trade agreements but not much in the World Trade Organization. This volume charts the terrain and provides an essential guide to the achievements and shortcomings of preferential liberalization.'- Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Peterson Institute for International Economics, USThis book fills an important gap in the trade literature by offering a comprehensive cross-regional comparison of approaches to preferential market opening and rule-making in the area of trade in services. Chronicling the spectacular recent rise of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in services and with contributions from some of the world's leading experts, the book examines the forces shaping the demand for preferences in services trade. It asks whether and how preferential advances differ from, go further than, and might ultimately inform the development of multilateral disciplines on services under the World Trade Organization's (WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).The book's core focus is on comparative scholarship, directing attention to the substantive features of services PTAs around the globe and exploring the iterative nature of rule-making and market opening in a still nascent field of trade diplomacy. It advances a number of ideas on how to multilateralize PTA advances in services and takes stock of the likely impact on the WTO system of ongoing attempts at crafting a plurilateral agreement on trade in services.Trade negotiators and policy officials working in the field of trade and investment in services as well as academics in the fields of law, economics and international political economy will find much of use in this authoritative study.Contributors: S. Abeysinghe, M. Bosworth, R. Chanda, A. Mattoo, M. Robert, M. Roy, P. Sauvé, S. Stephenson, I. Streho, R. Trewin, N. Ward

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The first of its kind, A Companion to Ancient Aesthetics presents a synoptic view of the arts, which crosses traditional boundaries and explores the aesthetic experience of the ancients across a range of media—oral, aural, visual, and literary. Investigates the many ways in which the arts were experienced and conceptualized in the ancient world Explores the aesthetic experience of the ancients across a range of media, treating literary, oral, aural, and visual arts together in a single volume Presents an integrated perspective on the major themes of ancient aesthetics which challenges traditional demarcations Raises questions about the similarities and differences between ancient and modern ways of thinking about the place of art in society

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Intellectuals of Jewish origin have long been well represented in the social sciences, although very few of the most prominent among them have devoted any of their work to the fact of being Jewish itself. At the same time, the founding role of Jewish theoreticians has been thought to derive from their dual position as both outsiders faced with the possibility of anti-Semitism and insiders assimilated into behaving according to the norms of a dominant "code of civility." In Geography of Hope, Pierre Birnbaum studies the trajectories of eight celebrated Jewish thinkers of the past two centuries (Marx, Durkheim, Simmel, Aron, Arendt, Berlin, Walzer, and Yerushalmi) who emerged from milieus acculturated to greatly varying degrees. The result is a renewed historiography of the Diaspora traversed by the tensions between adherence to Enlightenment universalism and a return to individual origins. Birnbaum's analysis of writings often neglected by previous scholarship, such as private correspondence, testifies to the multiplicity of possible responses to this challenge of double allegiance—from the more republican turn of the French to those Americans touched by the culture of identity. This vast and encompassing work is a stimulating, provocative, and hopeful contribution to the study of Judaism and democracy.

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In 1988, the renowned sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and the leading historian Roger Chartier met for a series of lively discussions that were broadcast on French public radio. Published here for the first time, these conversations are an accessible and engaging introduction to the work of these two great thinkers, who discuss their work and explore the similarities and differences between their disciplines with the clarity and frankness of the spoken word.Bourdieu and Chartier discuss some of the core themes of Bourdieu’s work, such as his theory of fields, his notions of habitus and symbolic power and his account of the relation between structures and individuals, and they examine the relevance of these ideas to the study of historical events and processes. They also discuss at length Bourdieu’s work on culture and aesthetics, including his work on Flaubert and Manet and his analyses of the formation of the literary and artistic fields. Reflecting on the differences between sociology and history, Bourdieu and Chartier observe that while history deals with the past, sociology is dealing with living subjects who are often confronted with discourses that speak about them, and therefore it disrupts, disconcerts and encounters resistance in ways that few other disciplines do.This unique dialogue between two great figures is a testimony to the richness of Bourdieu’s thought and its enduring relevance for the humanities and social sciences today.

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Throughout the nineteenth century, legal barriers to Jewish citizenship were lifted in Europe, enabling organized Jewish communities and individuals to alter radically their relationships with the institutions of the Christian West. In this volume, one of the first to offer a comparative overview of the entry of Jews into state and society, eight leading historians analyze the course of emancipation in Holland, Germany, France, England, the United States, and Italy as well as in Turkey and Russia. The goal is to produce a systematic study of the highly diverse paths to emancipation and to explore their different impacts on Jewish identity, dispositions, and patterns of collective action. Jewish emancipation concerned itself primarily with issues of state and citizenship. Would the liberal and republican values of the Enlightenment guide governments in establishing the terms of Jewish citizenship? How would states react to Jews seeking to become citizens and to remain meaningfully Jewish? The authors examine these issues through discussions of the entry of Jews into the military, the judicial system, business, and academic and professional careers, for example, and through discussions of their assertive political activity. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Geoffrey Alderman, Hans Daalder, Werner E. Mosse, Aron Rodrigue, Dan V. Segre, and Michael Stanislawski. Originally published in 1995. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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Throughout the nineteenth century, legal barriers to Jewish citizenship were lifted in Europe, enabling organized Jewish communities and individuals to alter radically their relationships with the institutions of the Christian West. In this volume, one of the first to offer a comparative overview of the entry of Jews into state and society, eight leading historians analyze the course of emancipation in Holland, Germany, France, England, the United States, and Italy as well as in Turkey and Russia. The goal is to produce a systematic study of the highly diverse paths to emancipation and to explore their different impacts on Jewish identity, dispositions, and patterns of collective action. Jewish emancipation concerned itself primarily with issues of state and citizenship. Would the liberal and republican values of the Enlightenment guide governments in establishing the terms of Jewish citizenship? How would states react to Jews seeking to become citizens and to remain meaningfully Jewish? The authors examine these issues through discussions of the entry of Jews into the military, the judicial system, business, and academic and professional careers, for example, and through discussions of their assertive political activity. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Geoffrey Alderman, Hans Daalder, Werner E. Mosse, Aron Rodrigue, Dan V. Segre, and Michael Stanislawski. Originally published in 1995. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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An in-depth survey of the design and REALIZATIONS of miniaturized fractal microwave and RF filters Engineers are continually searching for design methods that can satisfy the ever-increasing demand for miniaturization, accuracy, reliability, and fast development time. Design and Realizations of Miniaturized Fractal RF and Microwave Filters provides RF and microwave engineers and researchers, advanced graduate students, and wireless and telecommunication engineers with the knowledge and skills to design and realize miniaturized fractal microwave and RF filters. This book is an essential resource for the realization of portable and cellular phones, WiFi, 3G and 4G, and satellite networks. The text focuses on the synthesis and fabrication of miniaturized fractal filters with symmetrical and asymmetrical frequency characteristics in the C, X and Ku bands, though applications to other frequency bands are considered. Readers will find helpful guidance on: Miniaturized filters in bilevel fashion Simplified methods for the synthesis of pseudo-elliptic electrical networks Methods for extracting coupling coefficients and external quality factors from simulations of the RF/microwave structure Methods for matching theoretical couplings to couplings of structure Including studies of the real-world performance of fractal resonators and sensitivity analyses of suspended substrate realizations, this is a definitive resource for both practicing engineers and students who need timely insight on fractal resonators for compact and low-power microwave and RF applications.

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2G/GSM and 3G/UMTS are key mobile communication technologies, chosen by more than 2 billion people around the world. In order to adapt to new services, increasing demand for user bandwidth, quality of service and requirements for network convergence, major evolutions are introduced in 3G network standard. Evolved Packet System (EPS) presents the EPS evolution of the 3G/UMTS standard introduced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard committee. This new topic is looked at from a system perspective, from the radio interface to network and service architecture. Hundreds of documents being issued by Standard organisations are summarised in one book to allow the reader to get an accessible comprehensive view of EPS evolution. Proposes a system view of Evolved UMTS, from the radio to Core and service architecture Gives a comprehensive and global view of the system that technical specifications do not provide Describes the new system as well as the inheritance and migration from 2G/GSM and 3G/UMTS Written by experts in the field who specialise in two complementary but very different technical domains (i.e. "radio interface" and "network architecture") Contains many figures and examples for better understanding. This book is essential for industry professionals in the telecommunication business, telecommunication system architects and designers, product manufacturers and operators and postgraduate students.

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These selections from Le système du monde, the classic ten-volume history of the physical sciences written by the great French physicist Pierre Duhem (1861-1916), focus on cosmology, Duhem's greatest interest. By reconsidering the work of such Arab and Christian scholars as Averroes, Avicenna, Gregory of Rimini, Albert of Saxony, Nicole Oresme, Duns Scotus, and William of Occam, Duhem demonstrated the sophistication of medieval science and cosmology.

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Sophie is haunted by the things she can't remember - and visions from the past she will never forget.One morning, she wakes to find that the little boy in her care is dead. She has no memory of what happened. And whatever the truth, her side of the story is no match for the evidence piled against her. Her only hiding place is in a new identity. A new life, with a man she has met online. But Sophie is not the only one keeping secrets . . .For fans of Gone Girl and Lemaitre's own internationally bestselling Alex, Blood Wedding is a compelling psychological thriller with a formidable female protagonist.Translated from the French by Frank Wynne

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"Neural networks do not understand what optical illusions are." - Technologyreview.com "Some pictures tell a thousand lies." - hplyrikz.com An optical illusion confuses the eye by pretending to be something it isn't. It both misleads and deceives the brain, which is trying to make sense of the information the eye is sending. This book presents a selection of brain-bending optical illusions featuring graphic art and photography by 60 artists, and includes an overview of the history of optical illusions in art.

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Nearly twenty-five hundred years ago the Greek thinker Heraclitus supposedly uttered the cryptic words "Phusis kruptesthai philei." How the aphorism, usually translated as "Nature loves to hide," has haunted Western culture ever since is the subject of this engaging study by Pierre Hadot. Taking the allegorical figure of the veiled goddess Isis as a guide, and drawing on the work of both the ancients and later thinkers such as Goethe, Rilke, Wittgenstein, and Heidegger, Hadot traces successive interpretations of Heraclitus' words. Over time, Hadot finds, "Nature loves to hide" has meant that all that lives tends to die; that Nature wraps herself in myths; and (for Heidegger) that Being unveils as it veils itself. Meanwhile the pronouncement has been used to explain everything from the opacity of the natural world to our modern angst.From these kaleidoscopic exegeses and usages emerge two contradictory approaches to nature: the Promethean, or experimental-questing, approach, which embraces technology as a means of tearing the veil from Nature and revealing her secrets; and the Orphic, or contemplative-poetic, approach, according to which such a denuding of Nature is a grave trespass. In place of these two attitudes Hadot proposes one suggested by the Romantic vision of Rousseau, Goethe, and Schelling, who saw in the veiled Isis an allegorical expression of the sublime. "Nature is art and art is nature," Hadot writes, inviting us to embrace Isis and all she represents: art makes us intensely aware of how completely we ourselves are not merely surrounded by nature but also part of nature.

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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are treasured today—as they have been over the centuries—as an inexhaustible source of wisdom. And as one of the three most important expressions of Stoicism, this is an essential text for everyone interested in ancient religion and philosophy. Yet the clarity and ease of the work’s style are deceptive. Pierre Hadot, eminent historian of ancient thought, uncovers new levels of meaning and expands our understanding of its underlying philosophy.Written by the Roman emperor for his own private guidance and self-admonition, the Meditations set forth principles for living a good and just life. Hadot probes Marcus Aurelius’s guidelines and convictions and discerns the hitherto unperceived conceptual system that grounds them. Abundantly quoting the Meditations to illustrate his analysis, the author allows Marcus Aurelius to speak directly to the reader. And Hadot unfolds for us the philosophical context of the Meditations, commenting on the philosophers Marcus Aurelius read and giving special attention to the teachings of Epictetus, whose disciple he was.The soul, the guiding principle within us, is in Marcus Aurelius’s Stoic philosophy an inviolable stronghold of freedom, the “inner citadel.” This spirited and engaging study of his thought offers a fresh picture of the fascinating philosopher-emperor, a fuller understanding of the tradition and doctrines of Stoicism, and rich insight on the culture of the Roman empire in the second century. Pierre Hadot has been working on Marcus Aurelius for more than twenty years; in this book he distills his analysis and conclusions with extraordinary lucidity for the general reader.

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This book presents a history of spiritual exercises from Socrates to early Christianity, an account of their decline in modern philosophy, and a discussion of the different conceptions of philosophy that have accompanied the trajectory and fate of the theory and practice of spiritual exercises. Hadot's book demonstrates the extent to which philosophy has been, and still is, above all else a way of seeing and of being in the world.

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The inside story, told by the archaeological detectives themselves, of the extraordinary discovery of the world’s oldest papyri – revealing how King Khufu’s men built the Great Pyramid at Giza. Pierre Tallet’s discovery of the Red Sea Scrolls – the world’s oldest surviving written documents – in 2013 was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of Egyptology. These papyri, written some 4,600 years ago, combined with Mark Lehner’s research and theories, change what we thought we knew about the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza. Here, for the first time, Tallet and Lehner together give us the definitive account of this astounding discovery. The story begins with Tallet’s hunt for hieroglyphic rock inscriptions in the Sinai Peninsula, leading up to the discovery of the papyri – the diary of Inspector Merer, who oversaw workers in the reign of Pharaoh Khufu – in Wadi el-Jarf, the site of an ancient harbour on the Red Sea. The translation of the papyri reveals for the first time exactly how the stones of the Great Pyramid were transported to Giza. Combined with Lehner's excavations of the recently unearthed harbour, the Red Sea Papyri have greatly advanced our understanding of how the ancient Egyptians were able to build monuments that survive to this day. Tallet and Lehner narrate this thrilling discovery and explore how the building of the pyramids helped create a unified state, propelling Egyptian civilization forward. This lavishly illustrated book captures the excitement and significance of these seminal findings, conveying above all how astonishing it is to discover a contemporary eye-witness testimony to the creation of the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World.With over 200 illustrations

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"Is not modern democracy the finally-found form of the religion of Humanity?" (2007)The Religion of Humanity: The Illusion of Our Time is the first anthology in any language of the writings of the contemporary French political philosopher, Pierre Manent, on “the religion of Humanity.” The striking phrase comes from nineteenth-century French thinker, Auguste Comte (1798–1857). Comte coined the phrase and indeed created an atheistic religion of a self-adoring Humanity. In the aftermath of the Cold War, Manent observed victorious democracy interpreting itself in a similar framework. He took it upon himself to track this development, analyze it, and warn his fellow Europeans of its deleterious political, intellectual, moral, and spiritual effects. With conceptual precision and (most often) a sober tone, many contemporary sacred cows were gored. But in addition to cursing the humanitarian darkness, he also lit many candles of judicious political, philosophical, moral, and spiritual analysis. This anthology is thus almost unique in its subject matter, and certainly unique in its treatment of the subject. It is a rarity and gem: a first-rate work of political philosophy.

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ONE OF THE TIMES' FAVOURITE NOVELS OF 2023The first epic novel in THE GLORIOUS YEARS series from the two times winner of the prestigious Prix-Goncourt'You have the ingredients Balzac would have cooked with. And it is exactly those great 19th century novels that Lemaitre will remind you of' Sunday TimesThe Pelletiers are a prominent French family living in Beirut, dominated by Louis, who has built a hugely successful business manufacturing artisanal soaps. Louis has three sons, but none seems to have the aptitude for commerce he desires.There's Jean, the eldest, a feckless man who is both lazy and weak. When his ambitious wife suggests a move to France, he jumps at the chance for escape - for Jean has a secret that no-one must ever uncover. Etienne is the youngest son, who travels to Saigon looking for love, and there uncovers financial corruption and violence linked to the very highest officials - evidence that presents a real threat to his own life.François, the middle Pelletier brother, leaves for Paris and becomes a journalist. When he reports a shocking and brutal murder, he realises he's uncovered the work of a dangerous serial killer, one who may be very close to home.Absorbing, colourful and rich with no-holds-barred detail, THE WIDE WORLD is a terrific novel of greed, blackmail, and shocking crime.'Literature with conviction; a furious talent' L'Obs

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LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER 2018Antoine is twelve years old. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother in Beauval, a small, backwater town surrounded by forests, where everyone knows everyone's business, and nothing much ever happens. But in the last days of 1999, a series of events unfolds, culminating in the shocking vanishing without trace of a young child. The adults of the town are at a loss to explain the disappearance, but for Antoine, it all begins with the violent death of his neighbour's dog. From that one brutal act, his fate and the fate of his neighbour's six year old son are bound forever.In the years following Rémi's disappearance, Antoine wrestles with the role his actions played. As a seemingly inescapable net begins to tighten, breaking free from the suffocating environs of Beauval becomes a gnawing obsession. But how far does he have to run, and how long will it take before his past catches up with him again?Translated from the French by Frank Wynne

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Interactive and engaging, Ultimate Spotlight: Volcanoes gives children a closer look at different types of volcanoes and how they form! Explore the beginnings of a volcano: Pull a tab to follow the path of magma to Earth's surface, turn a page to reveal a big pop-up of a volcano eruption, and lift flaps to see the creation of a volcanic island. • Flaps! Pull-tabs! Pop-ups! Lots of interactive and moveable parts • Detailed illustrations that beg to be pored over again and again • Educational content reviewed by an expert b>Fans of Volcanoes will also enjoy the interactive learning of other books in the Ultimate Spotlight(TM) series, including Polar Animals, Rain Forest Animals, Savanna Animals, Dinosaurs, Firefighters, Trains, and Astronauts . • Great family and classroom read-aloud book • Books for 5 and up • Books for kindergarten and early elementary school students Chock-full of information, this book is an exciting introduction to volcanoes.

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The Art Firm explores the seemingly unorthodox alliance of the arts, management, and marketing. Art firms—as avant-garde enterprises and arts corporations—have existed for at least two hundred years, using texts, images, and other types of art to create corporate wealth. This book investigates how to apply the methods artists use in creating value to the methods more traditional managers use in running their businesses. Guillet de Monthoux offers a crash course in aesthetics from Kant to Gadamer, showing how aesthetic management and metaphysical marketing can create value. Using case studies of successful art managers from Richard Wagner to Robert Wilson, the author illustrates the creative role—so central to value-making in contemporary economies—performed by aesthetic play in art firms. Along the way, Guillet de Monthoux points out how responsible aesthetic management and marketing can eradicate the problems of banality and totality, the two capital sins of an art-based economy.

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In this book, Pierre de la Harpe provides a concise and engaging introduction to geometric group theory, a new method for studying infinite groups via their intrinsic geometry that has played a major role in mathematics over the past two decades. A recognized expert in the field, de la Harpe adopts a hands-on approach, illustrating key concepts with numerous concrete examples. The first five chapters present basic combinatorial and geometric group theory in a unique and refreshing way, with an emphasis on finitely generated versus finitely presented groups. In the final three chapters, de la Harpe discusses new material on the growth of groups, including a detailed treatment of the "Grigorchuk group". Most sections are followed by exercises and a list of problems and complements, enhancing the book's value for students; problems range from slightly more difficult exercises to open research problems in the field. An extensive list of references directs readers to more advanced results as well as connections with other fields.

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