Search results for ""Author Paul""

Solid-state NMR covers an enormous range of material types and experimental techniques. Although the basic instrumentation and techniques of solids NMR are readily accessible, there can be significant barriers, even for existing experts, to exploring the bewildering array of more sophisticated techniques. In this unique volume, a range of experts in different areas of modern solid-state NMR explain about their area of expertise, emphasising the “practical aspects” of implementing different techniques, and illustrating what questions can and cannot be addressed. Later chapters address complex materials, showing how different NMR techniques discussed in earlier chapters can be brought together to characterise important materials types. The volume as a whole focusses on topics relevant to the developing field of “NMR crystallography” – the use of solids NMR as a complement to diffraction crystallography. This book is an ideal complement to existing introductory texts and reviews on solid-state NMR. New researchers wanting to understand new areas of solid-state NMR will find each chapter to be the equivalent to spending time in the laboratory of an internationally leading expert, learning the hints and tips that make the difference between knowing about a technique and being ready to put it into action. With no equivalent on the market, it will be of interest to every solid-state NMR researcher (academic and postgraduate) working in the chemical sciences.

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Born in a mainly working-class area of North Tyneside in 1951, Gordon Sumner would become one of the world's best-selling music artists. Known professionally as Sting, he was the lead singer for the band The Police from 1977 to 1984, before launching a hugely successful solo career. The foundations of Sting's creativity and drive for success were established in the region of his birth, with vestiges of his 'Northern Englishness' continuing to emerge in his music long after he left the area. Published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the formation of The Police, this is the first book to examine the relationship between Sting's working-class background in Newcastle and the creativity and inspiration behind his music. Focusing on the sometimes-blurry borderlines between nostalgia, facts, imagination and memories - as told by Sting, the people who knew (and know) him, and those who have written about him - Carr investigates the often complex resonance between local boy Gordon Sumner and the star the world knows as Sting. This book will be of great interest to the many fans of Sting and The Police, as well as those interested in the history of popular music.

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From 1929 through 1961 Gibson, Inc. of Kalamazoo, MI produced over 30 brands of musical instruments that did not carry the Gibson name. Many of these brands may be familiar, with names such as Recording King, National and Washburn, while many others are brands that only a handful of avid Gibsonites will know, such as Werlein Leader, Grinnell, Truett, and many more. This book is a complete guide to all of the other brands Gibson produced, complete with detailed descriptions, photos and rare examples of existing instruments from collectors around the world. If you're hoping to find that diamond in the rough at the local garage sale, this guide will familiarize you with even the most obscure brands Gibson made for more than three decades.

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Your twenties are your defining decade, the time in which you are setting the course for the rest of your life it. You don't want to look back later and realize you ended up somewhere you never intended to go in the first place. How do you block out all the lies, half-truths, and "supposed-to's" constantly assaulting you from articles, social media posts, and well-meaning friends and family? How do you find something real, something true, something infused with purpose and meaning? Funny, vulnerable, and to the point, this book exposes the false beliefs that can derail your current happiness and future impact, like - having big dreams is naïve - success just happens - everyone else is experiencing the success you were supposed to - when you fail you're a failure - and many more This story-driven book shows you that you're not alone in your insecurities and second-guessing, then shows you how to replace the lies with the truth--that you can live a life of purpose, earn a good paycheck, leave a legacy, and have fun doing it.

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Following the 20th anniversary edition of PAUL POPE's HEAVY LIQUID, IMAGE is proud to release POPE's follow-up, 100%, in a newly remastered edition collecting all 5 issues, a wraparound cover gallery, unseen art and sketches, and stunning cover art colored by YUKO SHIMIZU. Time Magazine listed both HEAVY LIQUID and 100% among their 100 most important science fiction graphic novels of the decade, and fans and critics alike regard 100% as some of POPE's most emotionally charged and literary work, akin to Los Bros. Hernandez's Love and Rockets and the films of Wong Kar-wai.Set in HEAVY LIQUID's alternate future New York and the same timeline as hit series Batman Year 100, 100% focuses on the intertwining struggles, hopes, and loves of six characters all working and frequenting the seedy Catshack strip club. Blending the worlds of sex work, MMA fighting, and urban menace, 100% asks-is it possible to find love, safety, and hope in this dystopian American megalopolis? Collects 100% #1-5

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If you’ve read the Bible, you probably know some of the important battles, a good chunk of the life of Jesus, maybe a Psalm or two – but what do you know about the minor prophets and the epistles? Do you have some loose ends that need tying up? This is where a book like this helps. The Bible has one author – God – so we need to see the Bible as a whole, as God’s Word. Every book of the Bible is the breath of God and the plan of Salvation spans all of Scripture. In this Bible overview each book of the Bible is summarised; background given; themes and theology explained.

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In this compelling military and political history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Paul Hill explores England's birth amidst the devastation and fury of the Danish invasions of the ninth century. He provides insight into the English response to the new challenges of warfare in these years of turbulence and danger. Alfred the Great, youngest son of King thelwulf, took control of the last surviving Anglo-Saxon kingdom, bringing Wessex and the English' parts of Mercia together into a new Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons'. This is a story of betrayal and of vengeance, of turncoat oath-breakers and loyal commanders, of battles fought and won against the odds. But above all, this is the story of how England came into being. Warfare in Alfred's England changed from attritional set-piece battles to a grander strategic concern. This is explored, demonstrating how defence-in-depth fortification networks were built across the resurgent kingdom in the wake of Alfred's victory at Edington in 878\. The arrival of new Danish armies into England in the 890s would lead to campaigns quite unlike those of the Great Heathen Army of the previous generation. This is a human, as well as a military story: how a king demonstrated his right to rule was important. Alfred sought to secure the succession on his son Edward, who led his own forces as a young man in the 890s. But not everybody was happy in Alfred's England. Despite the ever-present threat from the Danes, the greatest challenge facing Alfred arose from his own kin, centred deep in the heart of ancient Wessex. Alfred knew very well that his was not the only branch of the family who claimed a right to rule.

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This original and authoritative exploration of ethnographic writing comes from one of the world′s leading academics in the field, Paul Atkinson. The third book in his seminal quartet on ethnographic research, it provides thoughtful, reflective guidance on a crucial skill that is often difficult to master. Informed throughout by extracts from Paul’s own writing, this book explores and examines a broad range of types and genres of ethnographic writing, from fieldnotes and ‘confessions’, to conventional ‘realist’ writing and more. Whilst highlighting the possibilities and implications of ethnographic text, this valuable resource will help those conducting ethnographic research select and adopt the most appropriate approach for their study.

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'Superbly explained' Washington Post'Fascinating' Sunday Times'Engrossing' Evening StandardEvery phase since the advent of the industrial revolution - from the fate of the British Empire, to the global challenges from Germany, Japan and Russia, to America's emergence as a sole superpower, to the Arab Spring, to the long-term decline of economic growth that started with Japan and has now spread to Europe, to China's meteoric economy, to Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump - can be explained better when we appreciate the meaning of demographic change across the world.The Human Tide is the first popular history book to redress the underestimated influence of population as a crucial factor in almost all of the major global shifts and events of the last two centuries - revealing how such events are connected by the invisible mutually catalysing forces of population.This highly original history offers a brilliant and simple unifying theory for our understanding the last two hundred years: the power of sheer numbers. An ambitious, original, magisterial history of modernity, it taps into prominent preoccupations of our day and will transform our perception of history for many years to come.

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Paul Doherty's twenty-second medieval mystery featuring Sir Hugh Corbett is a gripping and gruesome tale of murder and mayhem sure to appeal to fans of C. J. Sansom and Bernard Cornwell.1312. Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the Secret Seal, has returned from the West Country to find Westminster in chaos. Edward II has fled in an attempt to protect his favourite from the wrath of his noblemen; and a royal clerk has been found dead, poisoned in a locked chamber.Drawn into a maze of murder both at Westminster and at the Convent of Saint Sulpice, where young novices have started to disappear, Corbett quickly establishes a connection between the two mysteries. As other killings follow, Corbett's investigation leads him to a high-class brothel and its sinister owner, Mother Midnight. Challenged to a duel and hunted by a guild of ruthless assassins, Corbett and his loyal henchmen, Ranulf and Chanson, face a sea of troubles. And Corbett must call upon his wit and ingenuity to halt the tide of disaster that threatens to engulf him...What readers say about Paul Doherty:'Good plots, clever twists and mostly impossible to work out''Paul Doherty's depictions of medieval England are truly outstanding''Another brilliant story in the excellent Hugh Corbett series by a superb historical author'

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Shortlisted for the 2022 Sports Book Awards'brave ... visceral ... a brilliant, brilliant read ... I would recommend this book to everyone.' Nihal Arthanayake, BBC Radio 5 Live'so honest ... everybody should read Hooked to understand what anybody in this situation has been through.' Susanna Reid, Good Morning Britain'a fantastic book ... a remarkable read.' Richard Madeley, Good Morning Britain'Brave, poignant and very moving. This book will change lives.' Jamie Redknapp'A courageous, emotional and vitally important book.' Jeff StellingPaul Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction for three decades.For twenty-one years Paul Merson played professional football. He won two First Division titles with Arsenal and was one of the finest players of his generation. But for thirty years Paul Merson has also been an addict. Alcohol, drugs, gambling: a desperately unenviable cocktail of addictions and depression which has plagued his entire adult life and driven him to the verge of suicide. 'I've come to realise that I'm powerless over alcohol ... I'm an alcoholic. My drinking and gambling have left a lot of wreckage.' Until recently the drinking and gambling were still raging. 'I wanted to kill myself. I couldn't go on anymore. I just couldn't see a way out.' Then something clicked. 'One day, I was walking home from the pub late on a Sunday evening, and I thought to myself: I've had enough of feeling like this, every day of my life. I rang up Alcoholics Anonymous the next day, and since then I haven't had a drink.'Hooked is Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction, searingly charting his journey over three decades. It is absolutely unflinching in detailing his emotional and psychological troughs and in raking over the painful embers of an adult life blighted by such debilitating issues. Hooked will kick-start a crucial national conversation about addiction, depression and the damage they wreak. 'Addiction is the loneliest of places. You're a slave to insecurity and ego. But it has to be you that wants things to change. Never be afraid to talk: the more you talk about the addictions the more it takes the power out of them. You're never alone.'

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From the detective who helped catch the Golden State Killer, a memoir about investigating America's toughest cold cases, and the rewards - and toll - of a life spent solving crime.For a decade, from 1973, The Golden State Killer stalked and murdered Californians in the dead of night, leaving entire communities afraid to turn off the lights. Then he vanished, and the case remained unsolved.In 1994, when cold-case investigator Paul Holes came across the old file, he swore he would unmask GSK and finally give these families closure. Twenty-four years later, Holes fulfilled that promise, identifying 73-year-old Joseph J. DeAngelo. Headlines blasted around the world: one of America's most prolific serial killers had been caught.That case launched Paul's career into the stratosphere, turning him into an icon in the true-crime world. But while many know the story of the capture of GSK, until now, no one has truly known the man behind it all.In UNMASKED, Paul takes us through his memories of a storied career and provides an insider account of some of the most notorious cases in contemporary American history, including Laci Peterson's murder and Jaycee Dugard's kidnapping. But this is also a revelatory profile of a complex man and what makes him tick: the drive to find closure for victims and their loved ones; the inability to walk away from a challenge - even at the expense of his own happiness. This is a story about the gritty truth of crime solving when there are no 'case closed' headlines. It is the story of a man and his commitment to his cases, and to the people who might have otherwise been forgotten.

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There are many myths about serial killers: that they are all dysfunctional loners; all white males; only motivated by sex; that they all travel and operate across a wide area; cannot stop killing; are all insane, or evil geniuses; and that they all want to get caught. Of course, there are some serial killers who fit into these categories, but the married Green River Killer was not a dysfunctional loner; there are plenty of female and non-Caucasian serial killers; Dr Harold Shipman was certainly not motivated by sex; many serial killings (such as the Ipswich prostitute murders carried out by Steve Wright) happen within a confined area; the 'BTK Killer', Dennis Rader, stopped killing in 1991, but wasn't caught until fourteen years later. Many serial killers may have a low animal cunning, or be 'street smart', but few of them are Mensa-level geniuses. Each of the thirty cases covered here is unusual in some respect, perhaps in the way in which the killer carried out their crimes, the choice of victims, the way in which they were apprehended, or the method of their execution.The cases are presented alphabetically by country - from Australia via Colombia, Great Britain, Indonesia, Iran, South Africa and elsewhere to the United States - and then chronologically. They come from across history and from all over the world. The author has gone back as far as possible to contemporary source material - newspaper accounts, trial evidence, interviews with perpetrators or survivors - rather than rely on the increasingly blurred truth to be found online and in far too many collections.

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Whether your aspirations are simply to sell a selection of home grown plants from the boot of your car or to establish a succesful all-year-round gardening business, this book will show you how. It covers: preparing your business plan; getting kitted out; how to find work - and keep it; what services to offer; book-keeping for gardeners; planning the gardening year; how to get commercial contracts; providing estimates; the top ten most profitable gardening jobs.

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The MG Magnette ZA was launched in 1953 at the London Motor Show to a mixed reaction. It had obvious similarities to the Wolseley 4/44, on which it was based, but it also had a revolutionary monocoque body and subtle design and styling cues that set it apart as an MG. It was the first MG to be powered by the BMC B-series engine that would later power the MGA and MGB. In this revealing book, Paul Batho covers the development of the Magnette, going back to the original MG philosophy and examining the advantages, constraints and compromises under the new ownership of BMC, including badge engineering. The book details the model developments over the years - including the Magnette ZB and the Magnette Six - and how it managed to encompass speed, comfort, handling, style and practicality for ordinary owners, foreshadowing the sporting family cars of the future. The author also covers owning and restoring a Magnette in the post-production era, bodywork and mechanical restoration as well as how to cope with typical faults and failings. He includes modifications and upgrades to the engine, gearbox and other parts of the car. The book also describes the factory’s experimental six-cylinder and coupé Magnettes and some modern Magnette specials including V8 conversions and the unique convertible.

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No other combatant nation employed motorcycles on the scale produced by the Third Reich. During Nazi Germany’s campaigns, first of invasion, then of the retreat that followed, motorcycles served a variety of functions: as couriers, for reconnaissance, for medical evacuation, as assault shock troops taking the brunt of battle, even as tank destroyers and for delivering hot meals to the frontline. As the Third Reich gained absolute control of Germany and sought to spread its domain by fire and steel, some 300 different brands of motorcycles had been in production, yet only a select few were chosen to join the Wehrmacht in its war of conquest. Among the motorcycles were the vaunted BMW, as well as NSU, Zündapp and the now lesser known yet ‘bullet tough’ DKW, among several others, either domestically produced or confiscated from occupied territories. As with all motorcyclists, there was a kinship among the soldiers on two (or three) wheels who called themselves Kradmelder (despatch riders). Two-Wheeled Blitzkrieg shares the uniquely personal, largely unpublished images they took of themselves and their machines as they entered the crucible of war.

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There can be few world-class companies that boast the heritage and traditions inherent in the British Airways brand. Indeed, the company that became British Airways operated the world's first commercial scheduled airline service in 1919. From the early days of aviation through to more recent times, British Airways has stood for high standards of quality and professionalism. Curator of the British Airways Heritage Collection Paul Jarvis guides the reader through the story of the company from its earliest origins to the present. In this full-colour illustrated history, we see how the whole experience of flying has changed over the years: the aeroplanes, the interiors, the uniforms, the advertising and much more.

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Build your sports skills with Sports Academy: GymnasticsLooking to take up a new sport? Or just thinking about ways to keep fit and healthy? This book is a great introduction to all the important gymnastics skills you'll need. Full of tips and illustrations showing key techniques, you'll discover everything - from training to competing. Perfect for readers aged 9 and up.The series Sports Academy covers rules, equipment and major competitions through specially commissioned, step-by-step illustrations that clearly shows skills and techniques needed for a sport.

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Excite your children and give them a firm foundation in phonics. Part of the Bug Club family, Bug Club Phonics aims to help children learn to read by the age of six in a fun and accessible way. Following the order of Letters and Sounds, the Bug Club Phonics programme matches the National Curriculum and Early Learning Goals and ensures children read from books with the sounds they know as they are learning to read. Ideal for home learning. Removal man Phil wishes he was a star. An escapade with a big box, photographed by Jess, gets him into the local paper! Part of the Bug Club reading series used in over 3500 schools Helps your child develop reading fluency and confidence Suitable for children age 5-6 (Year 1) Book band: Blue A Phonics phase: 5

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'Financial well-being is the peace of mind and security we get from being in control of our money' PAUL MERRIMANIn Money Made Easy, Paul Merriman, founder of financial advisory service askpaul, presents practical advice that will transform your relationship with money.With easy-to-follow insights and tips on: how to change your mindset when it comes to your finances prioritising your money goals budgeting, reducing debt and saving how to protect, grow and replace your income investing your money and key steps to take before you do how to identify the best pension plan for you navigating the Irish mortgage sector, government schemes and taxMoney Made Easy unravels the complexities of personal finance, enabling you to enjoy your life now while also taking care of your financial future.Discover true financial well-being - today.

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This revelatory book charts and explains the impact and consequences of successive pandemics, plagues and epidemics on the course of world history - all through the lens of today's ongoing global experience of COVID 19\. Ranging from prehistory to the present day, it first defines what constitutes a pandemic or epidemic then looks at 20 guilty diseases: including cholera, influenza, bubonic plague, leprosy, measles, smallpox, malaria, AIDS, MERS, SARS, Zika, Ebola and, of course, Covid-19\. Some less well-known, but equally significant and deadly contagions such as Legionnaires' Disease, psittacosis, polio, the Sweat, and dancing plague, are also covered. The book is ordered chronologically. Each chapter features an explanation and description of epidemiology, sources and vectors, morbidity, mortality, governmental response and reaction, societal response and impact as well as psychological issues where known - and the political, legal and scientific consequences it had or has for each locus at a local and international level. In short - the book explains how each of the events both made and influenced subsequent history in its own way, particularly how each shaped future medical and scientific research and vaccine development programmes. It also examines myths about infectious diseases, the role of the media and social media. Perhaps most importantly, Paul Chrystal asks what lessons have been learnt. Will we be better prepared next time? Because, if one thing is sure, there is going to be a 'next time'.

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Shortlisted for the STR Theatre Book Prize 2023 A manifesto for the future of playwriting, this book challenges you to be a part of that future in the belief that it is fundamentally important to write plays. Plays help us understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. Reading this book, you will be challenged to learn your craft, explode what you know, prioritise what is important to you, and write in the way that only you can write. Most books on playwriting explain how to create a believable character in a story driven by plot. This book, however, goes even further in its exploration of the playwright’s most valuable tool: theatricality. By learning from the past, and the present, the playwrights of tomorrow can create new, vivid, theatrical drama for the future. This manifesto also examines the process of writing, the art of collaboration, and the impact of writing on a playwright’s mental health. It identifies the highs and lows, as well as the trials and tribulations, of life as a playwright in today’s world. Theatre is a living artform. It is time for playwrights to acknowledge that fact and to celebrate the unique, primal thrill that a live theatre experience offers us. The future of playwriting is in your hands. Do you accept the challenge?

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Forcourses in liberal arts physics. Actively engage students inlearning and loving physics Paul Hewitt’s best-selling ConceptualPhysics defined the liberal arts physics course over 30 years agoand continues as the benchmark. Hewitt’s text is guided by the principle of"concepts before calculations" and is famous for engaging studentswith real-world analogies and imagery to build a strong conceptualunderstanding of physical principles, ranging from classical mechanics tomodern physics. The 13th Edition continuesto make physics delightful for students with informative and fun Hewitt-Drew-Itscreencasts, updated content and applications, and new engaging activities.

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Number 1 Bestseller Paul Williams is Ireland's No. 1 award-winning crime reporter, famed for exposing the ruthless gangsters behind Irish crime. In Gangland! he investigates who is pulling the strings behind the scenes - the families that form the Irish mafia - and examines the way in which their net has spread across Ireland and beyond. Compelling, chilling and unput-downable, Gangland gives the inside story on a dark and sinister world.

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The focus of Copley's Essentials of Accounting for Governmental and Not-for-Profit Organizations, 14th edition is on the preparation of external financial statements which is a challenge for governmental reporting. Consistent with previous editions, the new 14th edition is best suited for instructors wanting to provide students with more concise coverage of the material with an approach similar to that used in practice. Specifically, day to day events are recorded at the fund level using the basis of accounting for fund financial statements. Governmental activities are recorded using the modified accrual basis. The fund-basis statements are then used as input in the preparation of government-wide statements. The preparation of government-wide statements is presented in an Excel worksheet.

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Birkenhead, 1973. The eighteen-year-old Paul O'Grady gets ready for a big Saturday night out on the town. New white T-shirt, freshly ironed jeans, looking good. As he bids farewell to his mum, who's on the phone to his auntie, and wanders off down the street in a cloud of aftershave, he hears her familiar cry: 'Oh, the devil rides out tonight, Annie. The devil rides out!'The further adventures of Paul O'Grady - following on from the million-copy-selling At My Mother's Knee - are, if anything, even more hilarious and outrageous than what has come before.To say that The Devil Rides Out is action-packed is an understatement. Its extraordinary cast of characters includes lords and ladies, the legendary Vera, a serial killer, more prostitutes than you can shake a stick at and drag queens of every shape and size. Wickedly funny, often moving, and searingly honest, Paul's tales of the unexpected will make your jaw drop and your hair stand on end. And you'll laugh like a drain. The Devil Rides Out is one hell of a read!

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People have always attached meaning to the landscape that surrounds them. In Storied Ground Paul Readman uncovers why landscape matters so much to the English people, exploring its particular importance in shaping English national identity amid the transformations of modernity. The book takes us from the fells of the Lake District to the uplands of Northumberland; from the streetscapes of industrial Manchester to the heart of London. This panoramic journey reveals the significance, not only of the physical characteristics of landscapes, but also of the sense of the past, collective memories and cultural traditions that give these places their meaning. Between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries, Englishness extended far beyond the pastoral idyll of chocolate-box thatched cottages, waving fields of corn and quaint country churches. It was found in diverse locations - urban as well as rural, north as well as south - and it took strikingly diverse forms.

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Theatre is often said to offer unique insights into the nature of reality, but this obscures the reality of theatre itself. In Real Theatre, Paul Rae takes a joined-up approach to the realities of theatre to explain why performances take the forms they do, and what effects they have. Drawing on examples ranging from Phantom of the Opera and Danny Boyle's Frankenstein, to the performances of the Wooster Group and arthouse director Tsai Ming-liang, he shows how apparently discrete theatrical events emerge from dynamic and often unpredictable social, technical and institutional assemblages. These events then enter a process of cultural circulation that, as Rae explains, takes many forms: fleeting conversations, the mercurial careers of theatrical characters and the composite personae of actors, and high-profile products like the Hollywood movie Birdman. The result is a real theatre that speaks of, and to, the idiosyncratic and cumulative experience of every theatre participant.

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The rise to power of populists like Donald Trump is usually attributed to the shifting values and policy preferences of voters-the demand side. Why Populism shifts the public debate on populism and examines the other half of the equation-the supply side. Kenny argues that to understand the rise of populism is to understand the cost of different strategies for winning and keeping power. For the aspiring leader, populism-appealing directly to the people through mass communication-can be a quicker, cheaper, and more effective strategy than working through a political party. Probing the long history of populism in the West from its Ancient Greek roots to the present, this highly readable book shows that the 'economic laws of populism are constant.' 'Forget ideology. Forget resentment. Forget racism or sexism.' Populism, the author writes, is the result of a hidden strategic calculus.

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1095 and crusading fervour has swept Europe. Christ's fief of Jerusalem has been seized by the Infidels. The Frankish Knights of the West are to march east to liberate the Holy City. Hugh de Payens and Godefroi of St Omer, the soon-to-be founders of the Templar Order, and Hugh's younger sister, Eleanor, leave the security of their homes in Burgundy, France, with a plan to join Count Raymond of Toulouse's army, and march across the known world to Jerusalem. Follow the crusaders as they march through Europe into the glories of Byzantium and onto Syria and witness the hardships, bloodshed and trickery they encounter on their treacherous travels to the Holy Land.

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At a peace treaty signing between Egypt and Libya in Thebes, three of Egypt's leading scribes die violently on the Temple forecourt, the victims of a vile poisoning. To add to the mounting unease, a prosperous merchant and his young wife are found drowned. Rumours soon sweep the imperial city. The Poisoner of Ptah has returned. It falls to Amerotke, Chief Judge of the Halls of Two Truths, to investigate these hideous crimes. This story sees the Judge pit his wits against a cunning opponent who seems intent on spreading his death-dealing powders. Amerotke enters the twilight world of glorious Thebes where life can be so rich and yet death so swift and brutal.

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313 AD, and tempers are rising in Rome. The Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena are trying to make sense of the new Christian religion which is spreading through the Empire - but the Christians can't agree among themselves. Scholars are locked in a bitter struggle over whether Christ really was the son of God, and Constantine invites delegates from both sides to debate before him at his villa.Now strange things start to happen. Envoys from both sides are found murdered in a most macabre way. The villa is secretly attacked, and the Holy Sword is stolen. Helena calls on the help of her secret agent Claudia - that shrewd, unobtrusive detective - to untangle the dangerous web of intrigue. As she sets to work, the spy is also facing a crisis in her own life...

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The brothers of the abbey of St Martin's-in-the-Marsh pay little heed to the tales of robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the Lincolnshire fens with a retinue of ghastly horseman. They may hear the shrill blast of a hunting horn, or see the corpse candles glowing in the dark, but their comfortable life is protected by a high wall and their powerful abbot. Until Abbot Stephen, a friend of the King, is found dead and Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King's Seal, arrives to investigate.

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As the sun sets, Chaucer's pilgrims find themselves lost in a Kent forest rumoured to be haunted. Huddled around the fire, trying to ignore the cries of screech owls and other, more frightening sounds of the night, the Clerk of Oxford agrees to tell a ghostly tale of love and death that will chill the blood.

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As the travellers gather in the Tabard Inn at the start of a pilgrimage to pray before the blessed bones of St Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, they agree eagerly to mine host Harry's suggestion of amusing themselves on each day of their journey with one tale and each evening with another - but the latter to be of mystery, terror and murder.The Knight begins that evening: his tale opens with the destruction of a sinister cult at its stronghold in the wilds of Oxfordshire by Sir Hugo Mortimer during the reign of William the Conqueror, and then moves to Oxford some two hundred years later where strange crimes and terrible murders are being committed. The authorities seem powerless but Lady Constance, Abbess of the Convent of St Anne's, believes the murders are connected with the legends of the cult and she petitions the King for help.As the murders continue unabated, special commissioner Sir Godfrey Evesden and royal clerk Alexander McBain uncover clues that lead to a macabre world sect, which worships the dark lord. But they can find no solution to a series of increasingly baffling questions and matters are not helped by the growing rift between Sir Godfrey and McBain for the hand and favour of the fair Lady Emily.

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In this delightful sleigh ride through Christmas history, Paul Kerensa answers the festive questions you never thought to ask... Did Cromwell help shape the mince pie? Was St Nicholas the first to use an automatic door? Which classic Christmas crooners were inspired by a Hollywood heatwave? And did King Herod really have a wife called Doris? Whether you mull on wine or enjoy the biggest turkey, the biggest tree or the biggest credit card bill, unwrap your story through our twelve dates of Christmas past. From Roman revelry to singing Bing, via Santa, Scrooge and a snoozing saviour, this timeless tale is perfect trivia fodder for the Christmas dinner table.

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The story of how the map of New Zealand emerged is a fascinating one. The first full map of the islands was published in London in 1773, which might seem the natural starting point, but over the preceding 150 years, fragments of charts and intelligence about New Zealand ricocheted around various parts of the world. In A Draught of the South Land, Paul Moon provides the first comprehensive account of this piecemeal process. Moon's investigation covers several continents over more than a century, and reveals the personalities, blunders, strategic miscalculations, scientific brilliance, and imperial power-plays that were involved. Above all, he examines the roles played by explorers and traders, Maori and European rulers, scientific societies and military groups, as well as specialist cartographers and publishers. At a time when maps as colonial tools, enablers of trade and objects of curiosity are being studied anew, his careful analysis and engaging narrative will be of interest to scholars everywhere.

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