Search results for ""author roy""

In 1955, Reginald Gill - milkman and part-time illegal bookie - took his 12-year-old son Roy to the Spring meeting at Epsom Downs Racecourse. It was a trip that started a life-long passion for racing. In the half-century since, Roy Gill has visited every racecourse in the UK and Ireland at least once. Many courses have been closed down, some have moved their location, but every racecourse he visited is vividly recalled in this very personal and highly readable account. By the time he reached Tralee in 1992, Roy Gill was 99 not out on individual racecourses, and continues to attend race meetings whenever he can. He has included the new courses at Great Leighs and Ffos Las, and returned to Wolverhampton and Limerick, which have moved from their original locations. Along with brief histories of every racecourse visited, the highs and lows of both Flat and National Hunt racing are revealed here by an acknowledged expert - and bona fide Turf Accountant. The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs (many of them previously unseen and unpublished), course diagrams and fascinating racing memorabilia.It includes the noteworthy occurrences and behind-the-scene stories of each venue, as well as personal anecdotes about the courses, the horses, the jockeys and trainers. Told with humour and passion, this entertaining and informative work is essential reading for all lovers of the Turf, and also a valuable spotlight on the sporting and social history of these sceptered isles.

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China truly is a plantsman's paradise: it is so rich in variety that there are upwards of 3,000 native plants on a single mountain in China - compared to around 2,000 in the whole of the British Isles. And, in the province of Yunnan alone, there are 137 species of oaks and oak relatives - in Britain we have just 2! This book successfully combines a most enjoyable and detailed account of the well-known author's many journeys through China. First and foremost, Travels in China provides a practical assessment of the Chinese plants that are either of ornamental merit or botanical interest to gardeners in the West. Roy Lancaster follows in the footsteps of the great Victorian plant hunters and describes, in this, his magnum opus, some 1,000 different plants in their natural habitat. He provides an eminently readable account of a fascinating country, its people, and the plants that have done so much to enrich the gardens of Europe and North America. Nearly 1,000 of Lancaster's own attractive and colourful photographs illustrate the text, showing the wealth of Chinese plants in the wild and in Western cultivation: the rare, the exotic and the surprisingly familiar. The informative text is interspersed with fascinating descriptions and anecdotes from his travels.

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This series of memoirs covers successive attempts by father and son to address the problem of building a rational, inclusive, national political superstructure on an all-Ireland basis, making use of the best of available European experience, and trying to counter the extremes of Catholic nationalism and Orange Protestant hegemonism.

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This botanical guide to the greater Atlanta region is teeming with more than 200 color photographs, informative gardening tips, and fun facts and stories about the diverse garden flora of the area. Gardeners from Atlanta to Athens, Columbus to Augusta, Macon to Rome, and beyond will find a comprehensive guide to nearly 130 species of flowers, shrubs, deciduous trees, and evergreens. Not only does the guide offer details about the ideal soil and light conditions for these species, it also delves into their history, folklore, and mythology. Whether used as an identification guide, gardening reference, or as an informative and entertaining botanical encyclopedia, green thumbs from all over will appreciate the abundance of Atlanta's plant life. A perfect guide for gardeners, landscape designers, and those interested in ethnobotany.

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Stroll under the canopy of massive Live Oaks in Savannah's Historic District, and enjoy beautiful Crape Myrtle flowers in the summer and Camellia blossoms in the winter. For more than 275 years, Savannah residents have grown plants and trees for commercial and culinary reasons, creating world-class ornamental gardens. The coastal city's unique blend of Northern trees and tropical shrubs makes it a gardener's paradise. Enjoy original tales and folklore pertaining to the history and science of Savannah's flowers, plants, and trees with licensed tour guide Roy Heizer. More than 160 photographs exhibit flora from the Historic District, squares, the house museum gardens, the Savannah Botanical Garden, Bamboo Farm, and Coastal Gardens.

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The RSPB's Book of the SeasonThe distinctive white-tailed sea eagle was driven to extinction in Britain more than 200 years ago, but this immense predator is making a return to our skies, thanks to Roy Dennis, an ornithologist, conservationist and arguably the driving force behind the UK's reintroduction agenda.Roy was instrumental in returning the Osprey, red kite and golden eagle to the British Isles, but the road to reintroduction isn't an easy one. In what will surely be the seminal book on British reintroductions, Roy details the painstaking process of returning the Goldeneye to Scotland, one duckling at a time, the die-hard determination needed to make a dazzling success of the red kite reintroduction and the leap of faith we will all need to make to accept sharing our forests and skies with large carnivores again. He also illustrates all that we have to gain by restoring our ecosystems to balance.Filled with a lifetime's worth of stories from the front lines of conservation, Rei

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A beautifully illustrated practical guide to astrology – with a unique AstrolabeTM weblink that allows you to download personalised birth charts for free, in a matter of moments.What is the effect of each of the planets on your zodiac sign? What is the influence of the 12 houses? What are aspects and how do they relate to your birth chart? In this unique book and weblink package, renowned astrologer Roy Gillett uncovers the hidden layers of astrology to explain the complex interplay of influences that shape our character. The Secret Language of Astrology gives access to an AstrolableTM website created exclusively for the book, enabling you to create a detailed birth chart for yourself, or for family or friends, within seconds. A historical introduction traces the history of astrology from antiquity to the present day. The second part of the book, The Elements of Astrology, looks at the planets, the zodiac signs, the twelve houses and the aspects. The emph

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In his fifth collection of Plays, the work ranges from a spirited, raging drama that investigates police corruption in Jamaica through to two thrilling monologue plays written either side of the Covid-19 pandemic, first presented at London's National Theatre. The political and the personal are drawn together effectively throughout, offering a rich selection of work that showcase Williams's unique talent. Roy Williams has been described as 'one of Britain's most important playwrights' (WhatsOnStage). His career to date has seen him win the Alfred Fagon Award, the George Devine Award, the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, a BAFTA Award and nominations for the Olivier Award for Best Play. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2008 and was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018. Advice for the Young at Heart (2013) "A robust and poignant piece of theatre." - A Younger Theatre Kingston 14 (2014) "Should be lauded in staging a culture not exactly over-represented in British theatre ... convincingly suggests such tensions underpin both the island’s chaotic political situation, and the wariness between the Jamaican police and the visiting Brit." - Independent The Firm (2018) "Williams reveals himself once more as one of the most compelling chroniclers of the complexities of masculinity in a rapidly changing world." - Arts Desk Death of England (2020) "The most exhilarating and hair-raising drama...This is truly a play for today." - The Guardian Death of England: Delroy (2021) " A blistering solo show sure to survive England’s second lockdown" - Variety

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Called an uneasy peace, the twenty years between the wars were a time of turmoil - Britain saw a general strike and the worst economic crisis in its history, armed rebellion in Ireland and open revolt in India, a Prime Minister's resignation and the King's abdication. Crisis followed crisis until Britain was engulfed in the Second World War - a catastrophe that could have been foreseen, possibly even prevented. But there were also moments of triumph: England regained the Ashes and Britain ran to glory in the 'Chariots of Fire' Olympic Games; the BBC was born and became the envy of the free world; there was a renaissance in poetry, sculpture of genius, and cinema lightened the darkness for millions. However it is the politicians who failed who have really come to personify the interwar years - in particular Ramsey MacDonald and Stanley Baldwin. Both prime ministers were better men than history allows. And Winston Churchill? Right or wrong, success or failure, he is the irrepressible force in what he called the 'years for the locusts to eat'. Hattersley's assessment of this doomed era is illuminating, entertaining and bold.

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The RSPB’s Book of the Season The distinctive white-tailed sea eagle was driven to extinction in Britain more than 200 years ago, but this immense predator is making a return to our skies, thanks to Roy Dennis, an ornithologist, conservationist and arguably the driving force behind the UK’s reintroduction agenda. Roy was instrumental in returning the Osprey, red kite and golden eagle to the British Isles, but the road to reintroduction isn’t an easy one. In what will surely be the seminal book on British reintroductions, Roy details the painstaking process of returning the Goldeneye to Scotland, one duckling at a time, the die-hard determination needed to make a dazzling success of the red kite reintroduction and the leap of faith we will all need to make to accept sharing our forests and skies with large carnivores again. He also illustrates all that we have to gain by restoring our ecosystems to balance. Filled with a lifetime’s worth of stories from the front lines of conservation, Reintroduction offers an eye-opening insight into the complexities of reintroducing extinct animals to Britain. It’s also an intimate portrait of these apex predators and a reminder of why we need them.

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It was an age of mighty heroes, misunderstood monsters, and complex villains. With the publication of Fantastic Four No. 1 in November 1961, comics giant Marvel inaugurated a transformative era in pop culture. Through the next two decades, the iconic Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men leapt, darted, and towered through its pages. Captain America was resurrected from his 1940s deep-freeze and the Avengers became the World’s Greatest Super Heroes. Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and dozens more were added to the pantheon, each with their own rogues’ gallery of malevolent counterparts. Nearly 60 years later, these thrilling characters from the 1960s and ’70s are more popular than ever, fighting the good fight in comics, toy aisles, and blockbuster movies around the world. In The Marvel Age of Comics 1961–1978, legendary writer and editor Roy Thomas takes you to the heart of this seminal segment in comic history—an age of triumphant character and narrative innovation that reinvented the super hero genre. With more than 500 images and insider insights, the book traces the birth of champions who were both epic in their powers and grounded in a world that readers recognized as close to their own; relatable heroes with the same problems, struggles, and shortcomings as everyone else. By the ’70s, we see how the House of Ideas also elevated horror, sword and sorcery, and martial arts in its stable of titanic demigods, introducing iconic characters like Man-Thing, Conan, and Shang-Chi and proving that their brand of storytelling could succeed and flourish outside of the capes and tights. Behind it all, we get to know the extraordinary Marvel architects whose names are almost as familiar as the mortals (and immortals!) they brought to life—Stan “The Man” Lee, Jack “King” Kirby, and Steve Ditko, along with a roster of greats like John Romita, John Buscema, Marie Severin, Jim Steranko, and countless others. The result is a behind-the-scenes treasure trove and a jewel for any comic fan’s library, brimming with the innovation and energy of an invincible era for Marvel and its heroes alike. © 2020 MARVEL

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In Dead Precedents, Roy Christopher traces the story of how hip-hop invented the twenty-first century. Emerging alongside cyberpunk in the 1980s, the hallmarks of hip-hop - allusion, self-reference, the use of new technologies, sampling, the cutting and splicing of language and sound - would come to define the culture of the new millennium.Taking in the groundbreaking work of DJs and MCs, alongside writers like Dick and Gibson, as well as graffiti and DIY culture, Dead Precedents is a counter-culture history of the twentieth century, showcasing hip-hop's role in the creation of the world we now live in.

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'Absorbing and sometimes shocking' - Literary Review'A masterful historical study' - The Good Book GuideBehind the wholesome image of the world's most popular drink lies a strangely murky and often violent past. From its first discovery to the present day, this is an extraordinary story of a great world obsession.When tea began to be imported into the West from China in the seventeenth century, its high price and heavy taxes made it an immediate target for smuggling and dispute at every level, culminating in international incidents like the notorious Boston Tea Party. In China itself the British financed their tea dealings by the ruthless imposition of the opium trade. Intrepid British tea planters soon began flocking to India, Ceylon and Africa, setting up huge plantations; often workers were bought and sold like slaves.Roy Moxham's account of this extraordinary history begins with his own sojourn in Africa, managing 500 acres of tea and a thousand-strong workforce. His experiences inform the book and led him to investigate the early history of tea - and the results of his researches reflect little credit on the British Empire, while often revealing a fascinating world story.

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Beautifully illustrated narrative history of the English country church In his engaging account, Sir Roy Strong celebrates the life of the English parish churchFrom the arrival of the missionaries from Ireland and Rome, to the beautiful architecture and rich spirituality of medieval Catholicism; from the cataclysm of the Reformation, to the gentrified cleric we meet in Jane Austen novels, Roy Strong takes us on a journey - historical, social and spiritual - to explore what men and women experienced through the age when they went to church on Sunday.‘Anyone with the slightest interest in the English parish church, of its life today, or its history will be intrigued, informed and enchanted by this lucid, and occasionally provocative, account’ Country Life

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RETAIL SELLING POINTS A step-by-step guide to unit testing Easily create readable, maintainable, trustworthy tests Great for both novice and experienced unit testers AUDIENCE This book is written for .NET Developers and anyone else who wants to learn unit testing.

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There have been millions of shipwrecks, but just a few have been remembered. A ship can disappear suddenly without a trace. Or a loss may involve a fascinating web of intrigue and drama. Exploration, the aftermath of wrecking in remote regions of the world and the interaction of survivors with local inhabitants are the stuff of storybooks, great novels and factual accounts. Ships and shipwreck have been at the vanguard of man’s development. Conquest, discovery, colonisation and naval engagements have meant that millions of ships and men were lost. Their loss has played an important role in the march of civilisation, but despite centuries of advancements in construction technology and maritime regulation, ships still wreck for many of the same reasons. From this captivating vantage point, Roy Stokes examines some of the historic shipwrecks of the Irish coast. A historic snapshot of the East India trade is provided through the shipwreck of the East Indiaman; its ability to turn investment into fortune attracted traders, bankers, and rogues. Moving forward, Stokes considers Ireland’s previously little-understood role in the naval battle with Germany during the First World War. Many other historic wrecks are also explored, including the paddle steamer Queen Victoria, which, discovered by the author in 1983, became the first historic shipwreck to be protected under new legislation. This thought-provoking book is sure to capture your interest with details of not only the shipwrecks themselves, but also the men who crewed them. Between the Tides exhibits an extensive volume of research, which supports a number of detailed accounts of historic shipwreck events that have occurred around the coast of Ireland.

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A portrait of 18th century England, from its princes to its paupers, from its metropolis to its smallest hamlet. The topics covered include - diet, housing, prisons, rural festivals, bordellos, plays, paintings, and work and wages.

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The story of Catholicism in Britain from the Reformation to the present day, from a master of popular history – 'A first-class storyteller' The TimesThroughout the three hundred years that followed the Act of Supremacy – which, by making Henry VIII head of the Church, confirmed in law the breach with Rome – English Catholics were prosecuted, persecuted and penalised for the public expression of their faith. Even after the passing of the emancipation acts Catholics were still the victims of institutionalised discrimination. The first book to tell the story of the Catholics in Britain in a single volume, The Catholics includes much previously unpublished information. It focuses on the lives, and sometimes deaths, of individual Catholics – martyrs and apostates, priests and laymen, converts and recusants. It tells the story of the men and women who faced the dangers and difficulties of being what their enemies still call ‘Papists’. It describes the laws which circumscribed their lives, the political tensions which influenced their position within an essentially Anglican nation and the changes in dogma and liturgy by which Rome increasingly alienated their Protestant neighbours – and sometime even tested the loyalty of faithful Catholics.The survival of Catholicism in Britain is the triumph of more than simple faith. It is the victory of moral and spiritual unbending certainty. Catholicism survives because it does not compromise. It is a characteristic that excites admiration in even a hardened atheist.

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This is an inspirational collection of masterpieces from the world's greatest poets. Poetry has the power to give us strength, inspiration, and hope, helping us to make meaning from our hectic lives and giving us the opportunity to appreciate new ways of thinking about universal themes and observations. Whether you are a newcomer to poetry or a lifelong lover of verse, in this indispensable compilation you will find the greatest poems of all time, powerful words that have delighted and inspired generations of readers - words that are sure to inspire you today. In this portable volume, William Wordsworth wanders "lonely as a cloud" to gaze blissfully at a crowd of daffodils, Percy Bysshe Shelley pronounces his profound "Ode to the West Wind," Edgar Allan Poe quotes the raven, "Nevermore," and William Shakespeare is consumed by love in "That Time of Year."Replete with timeless masterpieces, this keepsake includes such American classics as "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Hiawatha's Childhood" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; "Concord Hymn" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and "God Save the Flag" by Oliver Wendell Holmes. For nature lovers (and city dwellers longing for an escape), there is Shelley's blithe skylark, Robert Frost's mending wall, and Joyce Kilmer's unforgettably lovely trees. In addition to the poems, the collection also contains a special selection of popular prose, including the Gettysburg Address, the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, and the full text of Patrick Henry's famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech. The pleasures of poetry are many, and the masterpieces in this volume are sure to enrich and encourage.So take a break from the rush and noise of life, find a quiet spot, and lose yourself between these pages. Poetry has long been called upon to enrich and inspire our lives, especially in moments of stress. If you are one of those souls in these noise-tired times who longs for a little peace and quiet, a stolen moment of contemplation, this volume is sure to offer you respite. Whether you are on the subway, in the grocery line, or on the elevator, this portable collection is your perfect companion. Whether you're an avid consumer or a newcomer to poetry, you're sure to discover verses to cherish among these unforgettable works that continue to inspire the lives of so many.The authors include: Alexander Anderson; Elizabeth Barret Browning; Robert Browning; Robert Burns; John Burroughs; Lord Byron; Edmund Vance Cooke; Emily Dickinson; George Eliot; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Eugene Field; Robert Frost; Thomas Gray; Patrick Henry; Oliver Wendell Holmes; John James Ingalls; King John; John Keats; Rudyard Kipling; Abraham Lincoln; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Edna St. Vincent Millay; John Milton; Alfred Noyes; Edgar Allan Poe; Carl Sandburg; Sir Walter Scott; William Shakespeare; Percy Bysshe Shelley; Frank L. Stanton; Robert Louis Stevenson; Alfred Tennyson; Walt Whitman; John Greenleaf Whittier; and, William Wordsworth.

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La persona y la obra de Thomas Reid pertenecen de pleno derecho al siglo XVIII escocés, pródigo en figuras destacadas como David Hume, Adam Smith, Adam Ferguson o Francis Hutcheson. Aunque menos conocido que éstos, la aportación filosófica de Reid fue decisiva para la discusión de las cuestiones relativas a la concepción y la justificación del conocimiento.Despertado de su sueño dogmático, como Kant, por la lectura del Tratado sobre la naturaleza humana de su contemporáneo y paisano David Hume, Reid estaba convencido de que lo que él llamó la teoría de las ideas, y que hoy llamaríamos una forma de representacionismo, lleva inevitable y legítimamente al escepticismo pesimista de Hume. Pero en lugar de aceptar la consecuencia de este sistema que, según él, había dominado la filosofía desde Descartes hasta Hume, pasando por Malebranche y Locke, Reid propone cuestionar sus premisas. La Investigación sobre la mente humana según los principios del sentido común constituye así una crítica

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This book is a round-the-year guide to wine and beer making, covering dry and sweet wines, beers, lagers, liqueurs and fortified wines. In the introduction, the author explains the basic principles of the craft and advises on health and safety and the choice, use and care of equipment. The main body of the text, fully illustrated with delicate line drawings, is a season-by-season guide to ingredients and recipes for making wines and beers to suit all tastes.

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Humanists are quick to defend threats to the separation of church and state, but they have not always been consistently unified in engaging with pressing issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality—namely, those linked to economic, environmental, and social justice. Drawing on his tenure as executive director of the American Humanist Association, Roy Speckhardt calls for humanists everywhere to center justice in their humanism by promoting public policy based on ethical humanist principles. Acknowledging the challenges inherent to this type of advocacy and activism—such as balancing short-term needs with long-term goals and espousing a common humanity without erasing differences—he makes a compelling case for championing justice-centered humanism. He also provides guidance for doing so, whether on the local, state, or federal level. Precisely because there is no such thing as cosmic justice in an afterlife, he reminds, it’s especially important that humanists everywhere combat injustice in this life.

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The minor leagues never looked so major. In this compelling story of competition and sportmanship, long-time journalist and baseball enthusiast Roy Rowan takes the reader inside the hearts and locker rooms of two of minor league baseball's hottest pitching prospects pitching for the same team and against each other. On one mount is Justin Olson. A product of Big Ten baseball and an academic star, Olson is an accomplished student whose fastball tops out at 94 miles an hour. On the other mount is Francisco Liriano. Taken from the sandlot ball fields of the Dominican Republic, he possesses one of the most threatening arms in the minors. Widely considered to be the best pitcher outside of the big leagues, Liriano's arsenal of pitches humbles and awes the hitters that he faces. On one hand, they are teammates, pitching to get the New Britain Rock Cats to the postseason. But on the other, they are adversaries, pitching for their futures and locked in a head-to-head competition for the same opportunity—a chance to be one of the starting five for the Minnesota Twins. Throwing Bullets takes the reader through the trials and tribulations of these two young pitchers both on and off the field. A vivid story of competition, frustration, failure, and success, this book is an inside look at two minor league lives where every pitch is major.

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This book is written by America's master of traditional woodcraft.For thirty years, Roy Underhill's PBS program, ""The Woodwright's Shop,"" has brought classic hand-tool craftsmanship to viewers across America. Now, in his seventh book, Roy shows how to engage the mysteries of the splitting wedge and the cutting edge to shape wood from forest to furniture.Beginning with the standing tree, each chapter of ""The Woodwright's Guide"" explores one of nine trades of woodcraft: faller, countryman and cleaver, hewer, log-builder, sawyer, carpenter, joiner, turner, and cabinetmaker. Each trade brings new tools and techniques; each trade uses a different character of material; but all are united by the grain in the wood and the enduring mastery of muscle and steel.Hundreds of detailed drawings by Eleanor Underhill (Roy's daughter) illustrate the hand tools and processes for shaping and joining wood. A special concluding section contains detailed plans for making your own foot-powered lathes, workbenches, shaving horses, and taps and dies for wooden screws.""The Woodwright's Guide"" is informed by a lifetime of experience and study. A former master craftsman at Colonial Williamsburg, Roy has inspired millions to ""just say no to power tools"" through his continuing work as a historian, craftsman, activist, and teacher. In ""The Woodwright's Guide"", he takes readers on a personal journey through a legacy of off-the-grid, self-reliant craftsmanship. It's a toolbox filled with insight and technique, as well as wisdom and confidence for the artisan in all of us.

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Roy Cloud had worked in the wine business for years, watching it transform from a retail backwater to a mainstream fixation, with a huge influx of consumers looking for wine with terroir. By a twist of fate, he found himself on a hurriedly arranged trip to France to persuade small-scale winemakers that he should represent their interests in the growing U.S. import market. While Roy’s palate would be challenged in finding the hidden gems of the Loire and Burgundy, his real dilemma was this: He didn’t speak a word of French. Enter Joe, Roy’s older brother. Different from Roy in every respect, Joe had studied in France and was fluent in the language—and, most importantly, he was free to join Roy in his search. It was simple: Roy would do the tasting, and Joe would do the talking. What could go wrong? In To Burgundy and Back Again, Roy presents a richly evocative account of their journey—one replete with discovery, adventure, and poignant surprises. Written in the tradition of A Year in Provence and Sideways, this elegantly penned book will delight wine lovers and armchair travelers alike.

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'Given the racial complexity of the United States - not to mention the racism of its foundations and its persistence - why is it that the most influential white philosophers have not addressed the issue of race, its social construction and myth, and the problems it raises on a daily basis'? Answering this question is the ultimate aim of this volume, whose editor solicited contributions from eight of the most influential American philosophers working in the Continental and American pragmatist philosophical traditions. But there is no one answer: each contributor has a distinct perspective on the problem and provides an answer reflecting that perspective. Some approach the question in a personal manner by reflecting on how race has affected their own lives. Others resort to meta-analyses of features of philosophy as a discipline that account for its relative blindness to issues of race. Together they shed light on an anomaly that distinguishes philosophy from the other humanities as well as the social sciences - a relative lack of attention to race compared with class and gender - and thus help us better understand how the mental frameworks within which scholars operate can lead to differences in the subjects they take an interest in analyzing. Aside from the editor, the contributors are John D. Caputo, David Couzens Hoy, John Ladd, Joseph Margolis, Ladelle McWhorter, Shannon Sullivan, Georgia Warnke, and Cynthia Willett.

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Plate tectonics is a revolutionary theory on a par with modern genetics. Yet, apart from the frequent use of clichés such as 'tectonic shift' by economists, journalists, and politicians, the science itself is rarely mentioned and poorly understood. This book explains modern plate tectonics in a non-technical manner, showing not only how it accounts for phenomena such as great earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, but also how it controls conditions at the Earth's surface, including global geography and climate. The book presents the advances that have been made since the establishment of plate tectonics in the 1960s, highlighting, on the 50th anniversary of the theory, the contributions of a small number of scientists who have never been widely recognized for their discoveries. Beginning with the publication of a short article in Nature by Vine and Matthews, the book traces the development of plate tectonics through two generations of the theory. First generation plate tectonics covers the exciting scientific revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, its heroes and its villains. The second generation includes the rapid expansions in sonar, satellite, and seismic technologies during the 1980s and 1990s that provided a truly global view of the plates and their motions, and an appreciation of the role of the plates within the Earth 'system'. The final chapter bring us to the cutting edge of the science, and the latest results from studies using technologies such as seismic tomography and high-pressure mineral physics to probe the deep interior. Ultimately, the book leads to the startling conclusion that, without plate tectonics, the Earth would be as lifeless as Venus.

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Roy McFarlane’s second poetry collection, The Healing Next Time, is a timely and unparalleled book of interwoven sequences on institutional racism, deaths in custody and of a life story set against the ever-changing backdrop of Birmingham at the turn of the millennium. Here forms a potent and resolute narrative in lyrical and multidimensional poems which refuse to look the other way or accept the whitewashed version of events. Courageous, rageful and mournful, these are poems of Black history and Black presence, poems of witness and poems of activism. McFarlane’s intricate lines make record of injustice and mark the names of those who have lost their lives and dignity to prejudice and hatred. The Healing Next Time also asks vital questions of the future, and of the reader – and reminds us where the power to change things lies. It is also a poetry of personal discovery, of revelation and resilience – where the influence of Jazz and of James Baldwin infuse and shape this unique, remarkable book.

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