Search results for ""author keith thomas""

For fans of Black Mirror and True Detective, a visceral, high-concept thriller about a psychologist who must protect the life of an eleven-year-old girl whose ability to remember past lives makes them both targets of a ruthless assassin. Dr. Matilda Deacon is a psychologist researching how memories are made and stored when she meets a strange eleven-year-old girl named Ashanique. The girl claims to harbor the memories of the last soldier killed in World War I and Matilda is skeptical. But when Ashanique starts talking about being chased by the Night Doctors—a term also used by an unstable patient who was later found dead—Matilda can’t deny that the girl might be telling the truth. Matilda soon learns that Ashanique and her mother have been on the run their whole lives from a monstrous assassin named Rade. Rade is seeking a certain component ingrained solely in memories, and has left a bloody trail throughout the world. Matilda realizes that Ashanique is in unimaginable danger and that her unique ability comes with a deadly price. “A taut, riveting thriller, a perfect balance of scientific speculation and storytelling” (James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author), The Clarity is a compelling take on the possibilities of reincarnation and life after death.

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A SUNDAY TIMES, EVENING STANDARD, SPECTATOR AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR“In this gloriously rich book, Keith Thomas, one of our greatest living historians, explores how the idea of civility, from lavatory habits to table manners, evolved in early modern England.”—Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times “One of the most entertaining books imaginable.”—Philip Hensher, Spectator "Our finest living historian gives a dismayingly entertaining survey of what was held to be civilised behaviour and what barbarous in England between 1500 and 1800.”—Claire Tomalin, New Statesman Keith Thomas's seminal studies Religion and the Decline of Magic, Man and the Natural World, and The Ends of Life, explored the beliefs, values and social practices of the years between 1500 and 1800. In Pursuit of Civility continues this quest by examining what the English people thought it meant to be `civilized' and how that condition differed from being `barbarous' or `savage' . Thomas shows how the upper ranks of society sought to distinguish themselves from their social inferiors by developing distinctive forms of moving, speaking and comporting themselves - and how the common people in turn developed their own forms of civility. The belief of the English in their superior civility shaped their relations with the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish. By legitimizing international trade, colonialism, slavery, and racial discrimination, it was fundamental to their dealings with the native peoples of North America, India, and Australia. Yet not everyone shared this belief in the superiority of Western civilization. In Pursuit of Civility throws light on the early origins of anti-colonialism and cultural relativism, and goes on to examine some of the ways in which the new forms of civility were resisted. With all the author’s distinctive authority and brilliance - based as ever on wide reading, abounding in fresh insights, and illustrated by many striking quotations and anecdotes from contemporary sources - In Pursuit of Civility transforms our understanding of the past. In so doing, it raises important questions as to the role of manners in the modern world.

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The hand painted Limoges porcelain from the Paris decorating studio Atelier Le Tallec*TM, dating from 1930 through 2002, are displayed in over 490 vivid color photographs. Limoges bells, boxes, candlesticks, and vases to dinnerware, apothecary jars, ginger jars, chocolate pots, and tea sets are shown in a variety of patterns, including chinoiseries, figurals, florals, foliage, fauna of land, sea, and air, insects, geometric forms, and abstracts. Engaging text provides a brief history of Atelier Le Tallec and its artists (including Atelier Le Tallec himself), examines the studio's marks, and organizes the patterns by their styles. A bibliography, index, and current market values are included. This book will charm everyone with an eye for beauty.

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For fans of World War Z and the Southern Reach Trilogy, a suspenseful oral history commemorating the five-year anniversary of the Pulse—the alien code that hacked the DNA of Earth’s population—and the response team who faced the world-changing phenomenon. Voyager 1 was a message in a bottle. Our way of letting the galaxy know we existed. That we were out here if anyone wanted to find us. Over the next forty years, the probe flew past Jupiter and Saturn before it drifted into the void, swallowed up by a silent universe. Or so we thought… Truth is, our message didn’t go unheard. Discovered by Dr. Dahlia Black, the mysterious Pulse was sent by a highly intelligent intergalactic species that called themselves the Ascendants. It soon becomes clear this alien race isn’t just interested in communication—they are capable of rewriting human DNA, in an astonishing process they call the Elevation. Five years after the Pulse, acclaimed journalist Keith Thomas sets out to make sense of the event that altered the world. Thomas travels across the country to interview members of the task force who grappled to decode the Pulse and later disseminated its exact nature to worried citizens. He interviews the astronomers who initially doubted Black’s discovery of the Pulse—an error that critics say led to the world’s quick demise. Thomas also hears from witnesses of the Elevation and people whose loved ones vanished in the Finality, an event that, to this day, continues to puzzle Pulse researchers, even though theories abound about the Ascendants’ motivation. Including never-before-published transcripts from task force meetings, diary entries from Black, and candid interviews with Ballard, Thomas also shows in Dahlia Black how a select few led their country in its darkest hours, toward a new level of humanity.

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Distinctive and extraordinary porcelains from the potteries of Limoges, France, are examined and illustrated in over 1,000 beautiful color photographs. These porcelain wares range from nineteenth century cake plates and teacups to striking vases and contemporary boxes. Included among the featured wares are items hand painted by famous decorating firms and others that were offered entirely without adornment. Also included are the manufacturers’ marks and histories of many Limoges potteries, including Haviland & Co., Théodore Haviland, Pouyat, Guérin, Raynaud and Bernardaud, as well as an extensive bibliography and index. Current values are conveniently located in the captions. This book is a must for anyone with a love of porcelain and an appreciation for true artistry.

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Until the early part of the 18th century life for the majority of Britons had not changed greatly since the Middle Ages, but then in the space of 300 years the pace of change accelerated rapidly. Civil engineering was vital for these sudden and large improvements to our economy and quality of life. Wales is said to have been one of the first industrialised nations in the world, when the number of people employed in industry exceeded the number in agriculture. From the 18th century the rapid expansion of industry required improved transport links for the movement of materials and finished products by way of canals, roads, railways and docks. The mountainous landscape presented serious obstacles to improvements in communications, creating innovative and spectacular engineering. Many of Britain's finest engineers have been involved throughout the Principality, including Brindley, Jessop, Rennie, Telford, Stephenson and Brunel. This book records examples of some of their best work. This book is part of a regional series on civil engineering heritage that examines the contribution of the civil engineer to society over the last 300 years, including transport networks, architecture and landscape design. It is fully illustrated throughout, making an important contribution to the industrial history of Britain, and would interest anyone with a desire to know more about civil engineering's impact on the UK. It includes a gazetteer of groundbreaking monuments to civil engineering.

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Home brewing has become increasingly popular, as a way to both make your own unique beer and develop a valuable skill to be proud of. Home Brew – A Guide to Brewing Beer offers a complete overview, from the basics of kit brewing, through to a full-scale mash brew, covering various types of beer, such as ale, bitter, stout, lager, porters, wheat beers and IPA . Combining eighty years of collective knowledge in the brewing industry, this valuable resource describes each stage of production, explaining basic concepts and exploring the key ingredients – malt, hops and yeast. The importance of hygiene is detailed with simple guidelines to ensure that your brew has long-lasting quality. Featuring a wide list of recipes to follow, with suggestions to vary ingredients and processing techniques, Home Brew will inspire and equip readers to create beers of their own imagination, providing an up-to-date view of contemporary brewing technology and ideas for the future.

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