Search results for ""james clarke co ltd""

thickly wooded

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The book begins with an introductory survey of the better known and more influential millennium thinkers and movements through history. It shows how the millennium was interpreted as a utopia and expressed in violent ways in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and by the Branch Davidians in Waco and the Aum Shinrikyo sect in Japan. It also examines the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the New Age movement on the millennium. Part Two is devoted to the millennium in the Revelation of St John. It strips the millennium of utopian fantasies and the other accretions it has acquired through the centuries. It sets the millennium within the context of the whole of Revelation and its attack on the deceptive and oppressive ideology propagated by the Roman Empire and John's alternative interpretation of reality. It demonstrates that far from being an isolated reference, the millennium is integral to the whole of Revelation. It shows that the millennium is a metaphor for God's vindication of those who pay the ultimate price in witnessing to truth and justice, i.e. the martyrs, and indicates the relevance of the millennium in the world we live in today. The book is aimed at the general reader wanting an accessible introduction to recent thinking on the millennium. There is nothing here to help those who want to set the doomsday clock, but plenty to encourage those who are going through difficult times, and the book will challenge all to help today's victims of oppression and injustice. For those who wish to pursue the subject further, a bibliography of scholarly works is included.

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The Bible, as is often said, is the world's least-read bestseller. That is particularly true of the Old Testament. People are often put off by the sheer bulk of the material and its frequently undistinguished quality. John Dancy has selected large samples from most of the canonical and apocryphal books, amounting to just under a third of the total, chosen for artistic merit and intrinsic interest rather than for representative status or theological value. Literature of this stature, he says, should not be restricted to academics and believers. To make it more approachable, the text is presented with commentary on the same page, in smaller type so that attention is never diverted from the original. The commentary mostly concentrates on literary matters but provides technical explanations where necessary. In addition a sensitive and sound introduction also puts the Hebrew writings in the historical context of the ancient Near East. Extracts are used from a variety of translations, preferring the most faithful in language, tone and style for each section. Accuracy is a prime concern, but so is poetry. Above all, the selections bring out the inherent dramatic qualities of the verse dialogues and narrative prose. Nothing quite like this has yet been made available. The Divine Drama will be a welcome addition to the library of any thoughtful reader who cares for good stories.

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The Battle of Waterloo, it was said, was won on the playing fields of Eton. In his new book, Dennis Brailsford explores how this can have been so. Here the acclaimed author of serious sporting history takes the first scholarly look at English sport from 1775 to 1815. The period from the middle of the eighteenth century to the middle of the nineteenth has been largely neglected by historians of sport, and yet it saw the establishment of all five classic horse-races, the founding of cricket's ruling body, the MCC, and not only the first recognised championship in boxing but the first transatlantic challenger for the title. Now scholars are beginning to recognise the significance of those years for our sporting inheritance, both its place in and its impact on society in Britain and in many of the outposts of Empire. Dr Brailsford has provided an essential text for academics and general readers alike.

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Richard Cosway was once a more famous artist than Gainsborough. His portraits of the fashionable were the rage in Regency London. From 1785 he became First Painter to the Prince of Wales - the only artist ever to have been accorded such a title. He and his wife Maria entertained everybody who was anybody. Herself a talented artist in her own right, she was also a composer, musician and authority on girls' education. Thomas Jefferson fell in love with her; Napoleon doted on her. And yet, save for Richard Coswayís pre-eminence as a miniaturist, he and Maria have long been neglected by the public, their reputation tarnished by rumour and misrepresentation. Here, Gerald Barnett seeks to present them in a truer and clearer light, emphasising their achievements as artists and individuals and rehabilitating them as major figures in the artistic history of eighteenth-century England. Richard Cosway was the subject of major exhibitions at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (Edinburgh) and the National Portrait Gallery (London) from August 1995. Richard and Maria Cosway feature prominently as characters in the Merchant-Ivory film Jefferson in Paris.

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In this beautifully written study, Douglas Dales examines the autobiographical passages in St. Paul's letters, notably II Corinthians, in the light of the continuing spiritual experience and language of the church, to ascertain the saint's own experience of entering into the dying and rising of Christ. This phenomenon is related to certain aspects of other New Testament writings, especially early Christian attitudes to the passages about suffering in the Old Testament, and the testimony of the Apostolic Fathers. Douglas Dales aims to address the question: 'What makes a church a place where the experience of living through dying may be realised?', and concludes his study with a call to the modern church in the West to pursue afresh the steps of the saints. 'This book takes us back to the heart of that mystery which has been worked out in so many different circumstances. It tells of the mystery of Christ and the cross, above all, as it is expounded in the writings of Saint Paul.' From the Foreword by the Revd Canon A.M. Allchin.

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Controversy continues between the supporters of the Book of the Common Prayer and its rival, the Alternative Service Book. People have been known to drive miles to find a service that still uses the former. In this book, Norman Taylor has produced an anthology of passages from English literature that include a reference to the Book of Common Prayer. The Prayer Book has always had an enduring significance for authors from all over the English-speaking world, as much for the beauty of its language, as for its importance to their spiritual life. Combining humour and a passion for his subject, Norman Taylor has selected passages from the novels, autobiographies, poems and letters of authors as diverse as James Boswell, G.K. Chesterton, Margaret Mitchell, Alan Paton, Thomas Hardy and Stevie Smith. Lovers of anthologies will find much material for further reading and will also have their appetites whetted by extracts from lesser known authors such as Charles Williams and Priscilla Napier. Arranged in chapters according to the order of services, the author takes us through the Prayer Book from Matins to Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea. The whole is punctuated by three essay interludes discussing the history of the Prayer Book itself, the place of music in Anglican worship and the shape of Morning and Evening Prayer. The epilogue concludes with a discussion of the challenges by the increasing preferences of many clergymen for the Alternative Service Book.

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Part of the Century series - each book reviews and summarises the key developments in a particular branch of religious studies during the past century. Combining readability and scholarship, this book provides a systematic survey of the relationship between archaeology and Biblical studies in Palestine from the first excavations at Tell el-Hesi in 1890 to 1990. This panoramic overview of the methods and theories that have served to illuminate the archaeology of the Holy Land is set in context by an introductory chapter which covers the earlier pioneering years before Pitt Rivers and Petrie. Roger Moorey examines in details the collaborations and conflicts between archaeologists with differing views as to the purpose of biblical archaeology, and focuses also on the effects of contemporary political and historical events on excavations.

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Thomas Cranmer was a notable ecclesiastical statesman and much involved in the separation of the Church of England from the papacy. As an archbishop of the Reformation, he presided over a Church in transition, revising services, re-formulating doctrine and re-drafting canon law. In pastoral ministry he afforded both faithful and not so faithful a reasonable diversity of worship within a single comprehensive church. His considerable intellectual development, a lifetime's study of the Scriptures and his characteristic moderation make his writings of real significance for the English-speaking world. Cranmer's writings are increasingly difficult to find, either in print or used in worship. Peter Newman Brooks provides a brief life of Cranmer, together with a range of extracts from his correspondence, controversies, treatises and prayers, setting the spotlight on Cranmer's remarkable contribution to sixteenth-century national politics and piety.

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When Australia defeated England for the first time on English soil in 1882, a mock obituary notice was inserted in the Sporting Times lamenting the 'death' of English cricket and stating that the body was to be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. Later, an urn containing ashes came to be recognised as cricketing trophy, and now resides permanently at Lord's cricket ground. The mystery is this: where did the Ashes come from, and are they in fact still there? The author examines the official story and other, alternative suggestions, and details the personalities involved in the foundation of this great tradition. To understand the full significance of the Ashes to both countries, the author recounts the triumphant Australian tour of England in 1882, and the subsequent 'recovery' of the Ashes by England in Australia a year later. Cricket's Biggest Mystery: The Ashes is one of the most fascinating books to be written on the foundation of the competition for what must be one of sport's most unusual trophies. It will be a welcome addition to the library of every cricket enthusiast.

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Fully revised, this is a practical and comprehensive guide to the sources and methods available for those who want to trace their family trees - both the searching out of the facts and the means of displaying them for the generations to come. Chapters include guidance on how to make use of national records, parish registers, wills, vestry books, churchwardens' accounts, the records of the professions and of the services, old trade directories, and even the ancient manorial records through which one may - if lucky - glimpse the people of the great medieval hinterland which lies beyond the first Elizabethan registers. The author provides advice on understanding the historical context of one's family, as well as practical guidance on such matters as how to read old handwriting and how to make best use of libraries and repositories. In addition, the book includes illustrations such as sample family trees, coats of arms and photographs of historical records which are extremely useful in explaining the processes involved in tracing family histories. A bibliography and a sizeable list of addresses for further research complement this lucid and accessible book on one of the most fascinating and increasingly popular interests of today.

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From the Antique Pocket Guides series - a useful series for the collector of small antiques. Collecting small antiques can be of absorbing interest, partly because of items are easy to display and partly because they can be found in a great variety of places, including antique shops, public auctions, bric-a-brac stalls, jumble sales and flea-markets. Each title in this new series is written by an expert in his or her chosen subject. There is a wealth of practical advice to help the novice over any initial hurdles, guidance on prices and over 100 illustrations to help with identification. Each book could lead the way to a remarkably satisfying hobby. Tobacco was unknown in the Old World until the discovery of America, where the various species of the plant seemed to thrive in several regions of both North and South America. The American Indian custom of smoking the dried leaves in pipes quickly reached Europe, and the first pipes were essentially functional and closely resembled one of the types commonly found in America. Before long, ornamentation began to be applied and this increased over the centuries, reaching a peak during the 19th century. Whether a pipe is a cheaply moulded clay or an artistically carved meerschaum, its chief interest from the collector's point of view lies in the social or historical background responsible for its creation, rather than in its monetary value, and it is the former aspect that the author emphasises.

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Few magazines have ever won such affection and regard as the Boy's Own Paper. In its meridian years B.O.P.'s influence reached world-wide, and its name is still a household world. First issued on January 18, 1879, price one penny, it was a modest 16-page publication produced by the Religious Tract Society in the earnest hope of counteracting the lurid penny dreadful of the day. A dedicated team set to work to create a magazine which parents and guardians would approve, schoolmasters and ministers would recommend, and boys themselves would buy, read, enjoy. No easy task - but the result was a triumph. Within five years the readership topped a quarter of a million. It became, and was to remain, a British institution. Two generations of boys had grown up with B.O.P. by the time Jack Cox took over as Editor in 1946. He was to remain until the paper's sad closure twenty years later. Himself a reader as a boy, he treasured his contacts with readers, authors and staff past and present, and writing this splendid history of the paper was a labour of love. Drawing on a wealth of illustrations from the original issues, and with engaging glimpses of boardroom deliberations and office routine in earlier times, Jack Cox tells the paper's own enthralling story. He traces its history from the rattling adventures and bracing advice of the Victorian era to the practical hobbies and technical know-how of the post-War world, showing how it won the trust and love of the readers who remember it still with such warm affection.

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That was the most frequently repeated phrase when listeners to Radio 2 wrote to the BBC asking for a copy of the script of Frank Topping's morning meditations on Pause for Thought. What made me decide to broadcast them regularly

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A simple story of Biblical times for young children, telling how a fisherman's son comes to see Jesus preach. This illustrated book weaves an enjoyable tale around an incident from the Bible with accurate background information.

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When people read the Old Testament they are sometimes puzzled by the supernatural stories: animals that talk, jars of oil that are never empty, dead people restored to life, seas that divide and rivers that dry up. Some have no difficulty with such stories. This is the world of the Bible and the reader must expect such like. Those who cannot believe that have either abandoned the Bible and its world altogether or else they have devised ways of explaining (or explaining away!) events that puzzle them. John Rogerson does neither. Instead of asking what happened and how it happened he chooses instead to ask what it meant. Why did the early church relate and record these tales? And what did they mean? What did they say about God? So the reader begins to see that beyond the stories themselves there is truth about God and his world for every generation. Teachers will find useful lesson materials here, discussion group leaders will find something to start folk talking, and preachers will find a new approach to familiar passages. A companion volume, The Supernatural in the New Testament by Bruce Kaye, is also published by the Lutterworth Press.

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Featuring a short biography of the preacher John Wesley, who founded the Methodist Church, this book is intended for 9-13 year olds. The other titles by this author include: "Lady with a Lamp: The Story of Florence Nightingale", "Never Say Die: The Story of Gladys Aylward", and "Saint in the Slums: The Story of Kagawa of Japan".

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Three friends Cathy, Jane and Belinda spend a summer of discovery, beginning with a mystery surrounding Jane's new pony Belle. This book offers a story with a strong Christian theme for 9 to 12 year olds.

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From the Gateway Books series - a series of interesting stories for the slightly older child, with some adventure and each with a Christian theme. Peter Mason was bitter, unhappy and had a bad reputation in the village. Alan, his friend goes to see Richard Harding about helping Peter.

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Presents an illustrated picture book for young children retelling stories of how Jesus touched the lives of his friends. The other titles by this author include: "The Big Brother: The Story of Joseph", "The Boy Jesus", "Drink of Cold Water: The Story of Rebecca", "The Very Special Present: The Story of Samuel", and others.

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Shedding new light on often neglected areas, this study of the leading literary figures of the 19th and 20th centuries explores the complex interplay between faith and doubt in English literature since the Enlightenment.

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What is the nature of Christian unity? Is it Sacramental, Organic, Federal, Spiritual? These are questions that demand careful examination when different Christian traditions are drawing closer to one another in a common desire to heal the divisions that hinder the witness of the Church to the world. In any attempt to deal with these questions, full weight must be given to the evidence of the New Testament itself: what kind of unity does it reveal? In New Testament Pattern, Jean-Louis Leuba reveals a two-fold framework of unity in the New Testament. One strand - in its witness to Christ, to the Apostles and to the Church - emphasises the institutional, traditional and particular. The other strand emphasises the personal, dynamic and universal. Yet the two strands are actually one. Their unity is more comprehensive, more creative, than any undifferentiated unity could be, with important implications for ecumenism and broader scriptural study.

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Any student of the New Testament must be conscious of the competing expectations in ancient Jewish thought of what and who the Messiah would be. In King and Messiah, Aage Bentzen offers a fascinating glimpse into this topic, which preoccupied the most eminent Scandinavian biblical scholars of the mid-twentieth century. Beginning with the Messiah described in many of the Psalms, representing a demythologised form of the Oriental concept of kingship, Bentzen proceeds to the eschatological Messiah of Isaiah and Micah. He next discusses the later, prophetic-Messianic Moses Redivivus of Deutero-Isaiah, reaching the final stage of Old Testament Messianic thought in the description of the Son of Man in Daniel 7, which carries the 'eschatologising' process still further. Bentzen shows how all of these Old Testament types are synthesised in the Christology of the New Testament - Jesus is the new Adam, the present Messiah, the suffering Prophet, the new Moses and the future Divine King - and yet simultaneously superseded. The Christian 'myth' adds its own adornment to the complex question of Jesus' identity.

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The highly popular First Books series, which brings together favourite prayers, hymns, carols and poetry along with the beautiful illustrations by Brenda Meredith Seymour and Tasha Tudor, has been in print for over thirty years. They will make perfect gifts for children aged 2-4, and are ideal for adults and children to read together. This edition is bound in white with gold-edged leaves in an attractive presentation box.

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There anchoring, Peter chose from Man to hide, There hang his Head, and view the lazy Tide In its hot slimy Channel slowly glide . George Crabbe, eighteenth-century poet, clergyman and surgeon-apothecary, is best known for 'Peter Grimes', the tale of a sadistic fisherman that inspired Benjamin Britten's opera of the same name. The brutal crimes and 'tortur'd guilt' of Grimes play out within the bleak, improbably beautiful setting of Aldeburgh. While Crabbe has fallen in and out of fashion, the Suffolk town and its landscape have continued to captivate writers and artists, including Britten, Ronald Blythe, Susan Hill and Maggi Hambling - all drawn to the stark coastline, eerie mudflats and open skies. In A Time and a Place, Frances Gibb engages afresh with Crabbe's writing - tracing, for the first time, the resonance of this place in his life and work. She delves into his creative struggles, religious faith, romantic loves and opium addiction. Above all, she explores the continual lure - for Crabbe and those who have followed - of the 'little venal borough', and the land and sea beyond.

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In this accessible and erudite commentary, the respected New Testament scholar Linda Belleville shows how Paul's letter to the Philippians provides a unique opportunity to see the similarities between the culture of his day and ours and to understand not only what is needed to cope in a hostile society but also to be bold in sharing the sole hope for our global world: knowing Christ and eternal citizenship in heaven. Philippians was written while Paul was imprisoned in the imperial barracks, awaiting the outcome of a life-or-death trial. His most beloved church was facing strong opponents without and selfish division within. Paul's strategy is to remind the church of the reasons to rejoice and forgo selfish opinion differences. There is much cause to rejoice because, despite imprisonment, the gospel had reached the entire imperial guard and emboldened Christians everywhere to boldly proclaim Christ; even if he dies, Paul's ministry of preaching Christ will continue. Yet the Philippians' best exemplar is Christ himself, who, while enjoying his heavenly riches, willingly took on the human condition with its pain, suffering, and death so that they might gain their own heavenly riches.

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'Merton still matters', writes Paul R. Dekar about Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. Calling people to act justly, love kindness and walk humbly, Merton used his contemplative practice to see beyond what disrupts and divides us from one another to find the truth of our common humanity - unity in our creation in the image of God. In Thomas Merton and the New World, Dekar focuses primarily on two issues of concern to our current world. First, he studies Merton's warnings of the abuse that stems from unmindful and irresponsible use of technology, and its ecological devastation. Second, he examines Merton's thinking on racial injustice in the mid-1960s through his correspondence with his allies and contemporaries - James Baldwin, for example. Using Micah 6:8 to arrange Merton's focus on justice, lovingkindness, and humility, with input from Merton's dialogue with Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Rachel Carson and others, Dekar demonstrates just how prophetic and transferable Merton's teachings remain.

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C.S. Lewis's enlightened, foundational respect for the Jews as God's chosen people is a feature in much of his apologetic and theological writing. Although as a boy and young man Lewis reflected much of the implicit anti-Semitism inherent in the public-school-educated Edwardian establishment, this was replaced by deep respect when he became a Christian. Later on, Lewis's understanding was much enhanced by his wife, Joy Davidman (m. 1956); born to American Jewish parents, she was an adult convert to Yeshua Ha Mashiach - Jesus Christ - and Lewis referred to her as a Jewish Christian. A Hebraic Inkling examines in depth this Jewish-Hebrew influence in Lewis' life and works. Analysing some of his key writings in theology, philosophy, literature and apologetics, his rigorous stand against anti-Semitism and affinity for Jewish literature and culture is outlined, as well as his vision of how Christians are enfolded into the chosen people. This respect and affinity extended to Lewis' own family; when one of Joy's children sought to return to his mother's birth-faith, Lewis moved all to accommodate his wishes and raise him as a Jew, after Joy's untimely death.

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The Limits of a Catholic Spirit presents an extraordinary, in-depth study of John Wesley's relationship with Catholicism, examining the limits to which Wesley, as an evangelical Protestant, practiced his ideal of a Catholic spirit. Through the use of rare primary sources from the National Archives, Kelly Diehl Yates provides a refreshing investigation of Wesley's interaction and strained relationship with Catholicism, taking the path less trodden in studies of his theology. While revisionist scholars argue that Wesley proposed principles of religious tolerance in his sermon, Catholic Spirit, Yates argues that he did not expect unity between Protestants and Catholics, remaining wedded to anti-Catholic beliefs himself. By paying attention to this previously unfilled gap in Wesley studies, Yates' exemplary historical and critical study tackles questions which have beset Wesley scholars for decades, including Wesley's relationship with the Jesuits, Jacobitism, the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780, and his time in Ireland. Grounded in historical case studies, Yates explores these questions from a fresh perspective, providing answers to these questions, and more.

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In 1736, a century into Britain's expansion in North America, Charles Wesley arrived, and departed, the American colonies. His time in Georgia, where he was a missionary of the Church of England, Colonel Oglethorpe's personal aide, and secretary of Indian Affairs, was filled with discord and difficulty. Despite being treated warmly by the Anglican clergy of Boston, he struggled as a newly ordained Anglican priest, and was enveloped by scandal when two women accused him and Oglethorpe of moral impropriety. Charles Wesley in America is the first comprehensive treatment of this period in Wesley's ministry. Kimbrough provides the first explanation of Wesley's silence following the Oglethorpe affair, and also examines his negative attitudes towards the Revolutionary War and nascent opposition to slavery. Drawing on primary sources such as Wesley's poetry and a rare letter exchange between two former slaves whom Wesley befriended in Bristol, Kimbrough gives fresh insight into this formative period and the impact it had on Wesley's later career.

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Whether he is reflecting on the horrors of the bus queue, the heartache of loneliness or a rose in a bottle, Frank Topping succeeds in helping us all see what we so easily miss. The same is true when he turns to the words of Jesus."It seemed as if this had been written specially for me," That was the most frequently repeated phrase when listeners to Radio 2 wrote to the BBC asking for a copy of the script of Frank Topping's morning meditations on Pause for Thought. "What made me decide to broadcast them regularly," says Frank, "was the huge response from listeners - literally thousands."In the Frank Topping series, the Lutterworth Press has published many of his most popular radio meditations. These collections of thoughts and prayers remain a pleasure to use and also a handy reference for those who want to find their favourite meditation."

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One of the most important architects practising in Britain during the years 1820-1880, Anthony Salvin had a long and successful career as a builder of country houses and churches and as a restorer of some of the most important castles in England, including Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. In the first book-length study of this important architect, Dr Allibone has incorporated previously unpublished material concerning Salvin's life and buildings, including contemporary letters, building accounts, diaries, and reproductions of Salvin's architectural drawings, in order to shed new light on artistic, political, economic and religious developments in nineteenth-century England. Concerned through his career with finding authentic medieval examples for new buildings in the Gothic style, Salvin led the way to return to the 'real' Gothic architecture that cumulated later in the nineteenth century with the works of men like Alfred Waterhouse, William Burges and George Edmund Street. Knowledge of his career will further an appreciation of the works of these later, more widely studied architects. Including 181 illustrations as well as a comprehensive catalogue listing all the known data for 366 of Salvin's projected and executed works, this study should find a large audience among those interested in the history of architecture and in Victorian England in general.

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The doctrinal and structural revolution currently underway in the Roman Catholic Church is alarming for several reasons, not least because of the arbitrary nature of its imposition and the absence of resistance it has encountered. The reluctance of many to challenge the authority of the pope, tied to the increasing personal veneration by the faithful of each successive incumbent of the Holy See, is arguably a symptom of unresolved unclarity surrounding the nature of authority in the Church dating back to the First Vatican Council. In Infallibility, Integrity and Obedience, John Rist unflinchingly exposes the developments that have bred this crisis of understanding - and the resulting rejection of tradition in the papal agenda - over the past hundred and fifty years. Reserving particular attention for the Roman Catholic dilemmas, political and theological, of the 1930s, the mid-twentieth-century debates on reproductive technology, and the advent of 'celebrity autocracy', he shows how a misapprehension of the nature and definition of papal infallibility is at the root of the major issues facing the Church today. Most importantly, he proposes how the conciliar and individual decisions that have led to the current situation might be reversed, and how the proper role of the Pope can be reclaimed for the good of the Church.

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In Divine Audacity, Peter Dillard presents a historically informed and rigorous analysis of the themes of mystical union, volition and virtue that occupied several of the foremost theological minds in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. In particular, the work of Marguerite Porete raises complex questions in these areas, which are further explored by a trio of her near contemporaries. Their respective meditations are thoroughly analysed and then skilfully brought into dialogue. What emerges from Dillard's synthesis of these voices is a contemporary mystical theology that is rooted in Hugh of Balma's affective approach, sharpened through critical engagement with Meister Eckhart's intellectualism, and strengthened by crucial insights gleaned from the writings of John Ruusbroec. The fresh examination of these thinkers - one of whom paid with her life for her radicalism - will appeal to philosophers and theologians alike, while Dillard's own propositions demand attention from all who concern themselves with the nature of the union between the soul and God.

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Small and furry, the stable troll is a helpful little creature that helps out on the farm on which he lives. But as the family who own the farm grow up and move away, leaving the lazy eldest son to manage the fields and the animals, the troll finds himself overworked and ignored. Leaving the farm, he sets off through the woods, helping and befriending the various animals that he meets. Unlike the farmer he has left behind, the animals are ready and willing to repay him for his assistance, guiding him and his new friend the wood troll though the forests and mountains and lakes, until they find themselves called back to the farm, where a surprise awaits them. Ilon Wikland's full colour illustrations add to the charm of this captivating tale.

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Where do scientific terms come from? Why are they so similar in so many languages? How was the new nomenclature spread across the world? The Language of Science analyses the development of scientific vocabulary from its basic origins in everyday agricultural work, through to the need for a measurement system when it came to trading, to the scientific innovations of the seventeenth century and a subsequent period of consolidation in the eighteenth century. This is a period of great relevance in history of science and a strong focus of Crosland's work. The time between 1750 and 1800 saw many movements trying to organise and revolutionise scientific names and units the significance of which is often overlooked. Crosland talks here about the development of language in botany, chemistry and the metric system, drawing a connection between the three fields and the development of the sciences in general. The final chapter pays close attention to how the international conferences helped in the adoption and standardisation of the new language. Crosland's approach to the subject matter is very clear and concise. The Language of Science will be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about history of language, social history and of course science. The author popularises an often intimidating and complex segment of the English language. Scientists and non-scientists alike will find this book stimulating and thought-provoking. Aimed at anyone interested in Popular Science, this book is a stimulating introduction to the development of Scientific Language and offers a historical overview of the progress of standardisation of the Sciences.

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Dare to overturn preconceptions about the nineteenth-century arts with this fascinating work. Two assumptions are often made about the arts of the 19th century; firstly, that urban centres of the 19th century are where the arts flourished and 'provincial' centres were rather more inferior in their contributions to art, music and literature; and secondly, that women played a lesser role in their contribution to the arts. It is two such notions, which S.W. Jackman challenges in his highly detailed study of a range of Irish nineteenth-century women writers. Through eight far-reaching, biographical sketches of prominent Irish women writers, the author demonstrates that 'provincial' prose and poetry was not of lower status, but simply different. As the reader discovers the backgrounds to writers, such as: the 'doyenne,' Maria Edgeworth; Sidney Morgan; Marguerite Blessington; Helen Dufferin; Caroline Norton; Speranza Wilde; Augusta Gregory and Edith Somerville, so it becomes clear that 19th century literature knew no sexual or geographical boundaries. This well-researched study portrays above all how the writers' contributions appealed very highly to the romantic Victorian spirit and helped greatly in shaping Western culture. 'Literature was a lady-like pursuit even if pecuniary motives were paramount, and a woman did not lose caste by writing fiction.' Extract from Maria Edgeworth.

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Synergetics can be defined as the exploratory strategy of starting with the whole. It was in the 1940s that Buckminster Fuller developed a series of spherical models which embodied the synergetic theory within geometry. This study of Fuller's sacred geometry describes with vigour and in detail how his spherical figures relate both to Nature and to the tenets of synergetics. The author assesses the legacy of Fuller, a scientist-artist-engineer extraordinaire whose visions were inspired by the American Dream, and portrays with enthusiasm and sympathy the creative and individual science of a man whose character was as multifaceted as the domes he created. Discover the theory behind the idea that the straight lines and boxes of science and maths are inadequate for representing Nature's spherical and cyclical patterns of growth. The ways in which Fullerís synergetics can be seen in the ancient iconographies of the past are also revealed with fresh insight. In addition, Eastham looks to the future artistic applications of Fuller's wholes, with the aim of inspiring the reader to think outside of the box themselves. 'We sought for years to bring out a brief alternative geometry textbook. [...] It's not easy to produce a round thing in a square world...' Extract from the Introduction.

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There are many different opinions over the origin of the word collect. The Latin collecta means a gathered together. Whatever its origin, however, the collect is a very ancient prayer. This delightfully illustrated book contains the collects from the Book of Common Prayer. Some date back to the time of Leo I, more to Gelasius, and yet more to Gregory the Great. The wording of them in their present form owes much to that liturgical genius Thomas Cranmer, the sixteenth century archbishop and martyr. The collects are a perfect example of the Book of Common Prayer which itself was compiled at a time when for beauty of rhythm and splendour of diction, our language was at its zenith. Time and faith have hallowed this work, and the Prayer Book is now hailed as one of the supreme achievements of the English tongue. The wonderful prayers here are framed with enchanting illustrations which augment and enhance the beauty of the language. A Prayer for all Seasons was originally published by the Prayer Book Society in 1987. This new edition benefits from a clearer and more attractive layout. It starts with the Morning Prayers and continues with those from Christmas, Advent, Easter and the Saints' Days, concluding with the prayers for Holy Communion. Delightfully illustrated with nineteenth-century woodcuts, this is a must for anyone who appreciates the antiquity and beauty of the language of the Book of Common Prayer. With a Foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales, an Introduction by Ian Curteis and an Afterword by the Bishop of London.

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Eagles seemed to dominate Marcus Morris's life. As a clergyman's son, he grew up with the eagle of the church lectern; as a priest himself he had his own lecterns. A brass inkwell topped by a flying eagle became the symbol of the most famous eagle of all - the children's magazine that influenced a generation. Eagle and its sister papers Girl, Swift and Robin were read by millions throughout the 1950s and 60s. They offered excitement in the adventures of Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, brilliantly drawn by Frank Hampson; of PC49, Riders of the Range, Tommy Walls, Luck of the Legion, Harris Tweed and Captain Pugwash. Small boys were fascinated by the cutaway drawings of modern wonders like the first jet airliner, by features on science, history and nature, and by the adventures of a roving Special Investigator. The religious and moral framework was strong, though not overstated, with Bible stories and lives of missionaries and saints featured regularly, and young readers were encouraged to become good citizens. David Hockney and Gerald Scarfe had their teenage drawings published in Eagle (the first published work for Scarfe), and many of the original illustrators of the magazine are well-known today - some have contributed cartoons drawn especially for this book. Each issue of Eagle had an Editor's Letter, signed by Marcus Morris, a name as widely known to his young readers as any modern pop idol. The fascinating story of this extraordinary man is now told for the first time. Morris was a radical priest, continually at odds with the Church establishment. His desire to spread the word of Christianity led him into journalism, and his Lancashire parish magazine was read throughout Britain and as far afield as Australia. This magazine was a commercial failure, but its literary success made Morris determined to spread its ethos to children. Eagle was the immensely successful outcome. Morris was a man of contrasts. His clerical status did not prevent him, or his beautiful and successful actress wife, from indulging in extramarital affairs. The success of Eagle and his other magazines brought him no substantial wealth, and his way of life was funded by a generous expense account. After arguments with new masters in Fleet Street he left the company and spent the rest of his working life with the fourth eagle in his life, the symbol of the National Magazine Company which he made one of the most successful publishers in Britain. Though he became disillusioned with the Church, he remained a priest, and in spite of being happily married until his death, he continued to enjoy liaisons with beautiful women. Although a legendary drinker and lover of good living, he was greatly respected, loved, and mourned by employees, parishioners, and his many friends. Prof Stephen Hawking, when asked what influence Dan Dare had on him: 'Why am I in cosmology?' Kenny Everett, on Eagle: 'Marcus made my childhood a lot easier to bear. Every week this divine colour magazine came through the letter box with lots of fab colour adventures; it was glossy and other worldly ... You don't know what this magazine meant to me. It saved me.' With a foreword by Sir Tim Rice.

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There are those who say that the Reverend Sydney Smith ought to be made a saint of the Church of England. There are those who say that he jested away his chances of a mitre. There are those who simply read him and laugh. Sydney Smith was not only a humorist. He was a respected clergyman who worked steadily for Roman Catholic emancipation despite his own staunch Anglicanism. In 1802 he helped to found The Edinburgh Review, which became one of the most powerful journals in Britain. Lord Macaulay referred to him as The Smith of Smiths. Jane Austen is thought to have based Henry Tilner in Northanger Abbey on him. G. K. Chesterton was another of his admirers. This book gathers together a selection of Smith's own writings together with extracts from his daughter's biography of him. Arranged thematically, the passages deal with Home and Abroad, Politics, Social Evils, Education, Religion, and Health and Happiness. As well as Sydney's renowned wit, the collection enshrines the wisdom of a man of enormous common sense and the preaching of an eloquent orator. We discover the sloth, who 'moves suspended, rests suspended, sleeps suspended, and passes his life in suspense - like a young clergyman distantly related to a bishop'. We meet the bishop who deserved to be preached to death by wild curates. But most of all, we enjoy the company of a man determined that as long as I can possibly avoid it I will never be unhappy. The amusing defender of our faith described a friend's idea of heaven as eating pate de foie gras to the sound of trumpets. His present-day admirers may disagree, finding their ideal of heaven in reading this wonderfully entertaining book.

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Now, as never before, the big questions of life - purpose, the mind, physical nature - are tied together as philosophers have to take on board the findings of scientists about the mysteries of the universe and physicists seek to explain ideas of human destiny. All too often this crossover results in confusion being worse confounded. Professional philosophers are seldom equipped to comprehend cutting-edge scientific research, and when scientists attempt to explain their findings they mystify the ordinary reader. Yet the public remains eager to be enlightened; hence the great bestsellers that end up unread.This book is different. Without ever reducing the text to a simplistic or patronising level, Hector Parr provides a guide to modern thought that will genuinely inform the average person and provide a basis for understanding more advanced works. He explores in detail the true nature of Time, and pursues the scientific and philosophical implications more fully than other books on the subject. He follows through the implications of seemingly abstruse fields such as particle physics for our ideas of our place in the universe and presents his own synthesis of the problems; at once scholarly, humane and challenging. Concepts are explained simply and concisely. No assumptions are made about the readerís education; when arguments are introduced that could baffle the non-scientist, they are clearly marked and may be skipped, but those who can follow them are encouraged to pursue the reasoning. Rather than present pre-digested results, Parr lets us accompany him in drawing conclusions from the evidence collected by researchers. This is an elegant appraisal of matters in which we are all ultimately concerned. Succeeding where other more specialised texts fail, it will be welcomed by all who are willing to exercise their imagination and seek out the truth.

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By 1918 St Ives had a long tradition as an artists' community. It took as its standard the Royal Academy, which retained great popular appeal, but was neither forward-looking nor progressive. In 1920 it became the permanent home of one of the great innovators of the twentieth century, the potter Bernard Leach. At the outbreak of the Second World War it provided shelter for a small group of the most progressive painters and sculptors, including notably Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, already leaders in the advanced art movements of the 1930s, and committed to the principle of abstraction. In the 1940s and 1950s a remarkable group of younger artists came together in and around St Ives, making it a centre of avant-garde art activity. This book is concerned with those artistic events, especially during the years 1939-75, and the larger circumstances in the world of art by which they were affected, or which were affected by them. It describes the singular contribution of St Ives to the art of our time.

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