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A provocative look at the central role of slavery in Augustine’s religious, ethical, and political thoughtAugustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine’s understanding of slavery and his broader thought.Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism’s complicity in Christianity’s long entanglement with slavery.An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine’s views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground in the history of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. Autorid: Toni Alimi

An intimate account of the eighteenth-century Bank of England that shows how a private institution became “a great engine of state”The eighteenth-century Bank of England was an institution that operated for the benefit of its shareholders—and yet came to be considered, as Adam Smith described it, “a great engine of state.” In Virtuous Bankers, Anne Murphy explores how this private organization became the guardian of the public credit upon which Britain’s economic and geopolitical power was based. Drawing on the voluminous and detailed minute books of a Committee of Inspection that examined the Bank’s workings in 1783–84, Murphy frames her account as “a day in the life” of the Bank of England, looking at a day’s worth of banking activities that ranged from the issuing of bank notes to the management of public funds.Murphy discusses the bank as a domestic environment, a working environment, and a space to be protected against theft, fire, and revolt. She offers new insights into the skills of the Bank’s clerks and the ways in which their work was organized, and she positions the Bank as part of the physical and cultural landscape of the City: an aggressive property developer, a vulnerable institution seeking to secure its buildings, and an enterprise necessarily accessible to the public. She considers the aesthetics of its headquarters—one of London’s finest buildings—and the messages of creditworthiness embedded in that architecture and in the very visible actions of the Bank’s clerks. Murphy’s uniquely intimate account shows how the eighteenth-century Bank was able to deliver a set of services that were essential to the state and commanded the confidence of the public. Autorid: Anne Murphy

An essential guide to dialogue in the college classroom and beyondTry to Love the Questions gives college students a framework for understanding and practicing dialogue across difference in and out of the classroom. This invaluable guide explores the challenges facing students as they prepare to listen, speak, and learn in a college community and encourages students and faculty alike to consider inclusive, respectful communication as a skill—not as a limitation on freedom.Among the most common challenges on college campuses today is figuring out how to navigate our politically charged culture and engage productively with opposing viewpoints. Lara Schwartz introduces the fundamental principles of free expression, academic freedom, and academic dialogue, showing how open expression is the engine of social progress, scholarship, and inclusion. She sheds light on the rules and norms that govern campus discourse—such as the First Amendment, campus expression policies, and academic standards—and encourages students to adopt a mindset of inquiry that embraces uncertainty and a love of questions.Empowering students, scholars, and instructors to listen generously, explore questions with integrity, and communicate to be understood, Try to Love the Questions includes writing exercises and discussion questions in every chapter, making it an indispensable resource for anyone interested in practicing good-faith dialogue. Autorid: Lara Schwartz

"Strategically located on the Atlantic Ocean at the westernmost point of the continent, Senegal is well-known as an epicenter of Africa's modernities, modernisms, and liberation movements. It was also one of the countries where the daguerreotype first arrived in sub-Saharan Africa before circulating inland and across the region. At that time, Senegal did not exist as a nation state; local kingdoms were still in power and the French presence was limited to trading posts along the coast. The pioneers of photography in the 1840s were not exclusively Europeans, but also African, African-American, and Asian entrepreneurs. In the decades that followed, amateurs and professionals working in rural areas continued to explore and expand photography's possibilities. Senegal's photographic histories thrived as part of a global visual economy during and despite the colonial experience. Its works emerged as an integral part of the history of this medium, which unlike any other was a global enterprise from the very beginning. Portrait and place offers the first history of photography in this important country, from its first iterations, photographers, and patrons of the 1840s to photographers such as Oumar Ka (b. 1930) and Mama Casset (1908-1992), who were were active in the 1960s during the transition from the colonial to the postcolonial era. Giulia Paoletti presents close studies of photographs, firmly anchoring these objects, their authors, and their consumers in a global context that extends across West Africa, the Black Atlantic, and the greater Islamic community-in other words, beyond the borders of colonial empire. Based on over ten years of field and archival research in Senegal, this book features almost exclusively new, previously unpublished visual materialand explores both professional and amateur artists working in a wide variety of genres, from landscape to portraiture, and in media such as daguerreotypes and glass paintings. As the first book to focus exclusively on Senegal's photographic histories, Portrait and place expands the notions of what the medium has been and can be, from a Eurocentric model to one that is decidedly-insistingly-larger and more inclusive"-- A richly illustrated history of photography in one of the epicenters of African modernityWhen the daguerreotype first arrived in sub-Saharan Africa in the early nineteenth century, local kingdoms still held power in Senegal and the French presence was limited to trading outposts along the coast. The pioneers of photography in Senegal worked within, across, and beyond the borders of colonial empire, expanding the medium’s possibilities and contributing to a global visual language. Portrait and Place explores these unique encounters, providing an in-depth and nuanced look at the images made at the intersection of Black Atlantic, Islamic, and African cultures.Giulia Paoletti takes readers on a visual journey from the 1840s, when the oldest-surviving daguerreotype from West Africa was made, to the 1960s, when photography became the most popular medium as Senegal achieved its independence. She discusses some of Africa’s most celebrated modernists, such as Mama Casset, and also offers insights into lesser-known photographers like Oumar Ka and once-anonymous figures such as Macky Kane. Paoletti examines both professional and amateur artists in genres ranging from portraiture to landscape and across media such as glass painting and lithography.Featuring a wealth of breathtaking images published here for the first time, Portrait and Place brings to life the important histories of photography on the African continent. Autorid: Giulia Paoletti

"A short book on the craft of doing science by a leading scholar"-- "A scientist's personal reflections on how to harness creativity and curiosity to generate new ideas and discover the unexpectedLike any creative endeavor, science can be a messy and chaotic affair. On the Art and Craft of Doing Science shares the creative process of an innovative and accomplished scientist, taking readers behind the scenes of some of his most pioneering investigations and explaining why the practice of science, far from being an orderly exercise in pure logic, is a form of creative expression like any other art.Kenneth Catania begins by discussing how ideas set the stage for scientific breakthroughs and goes on to describe ways to approach experimental design. He sheds light on the importance of art in making discoveries and demonstrates how to find and tell a compelling story about a scientific result while accurately communicating its findings. What role does failure play in science? Is it possible to fail better? How do you define success in science? Catania provides insights to these and other questions, along the way sharing the lessons he's learned from diverse figures ranging from science philosopher Thomas Kuhn to novelist Stephen King. Blending illuminating historical examples with insights from Catania's own groundbreaking research in biology and neuroscience, On the Art and Craft of Doing Science draws parallels with art and writing to reveal the creative side to the practice of good science"-- A scientist’s personal reflections on how to harness creativity and curiosity to generate new ideas and discover the unexpectedLike any creative endeavor, science can be a messy and chaotic affair. On the Art and Craft of Doing Science shares the creative process of an innovative and accomplished scientist, taking readers behind the scenes of some of his most pioneering investigations and explaining why the practice of science, far from being an orderly exercise in pure logic, is a form of creative expression like any other art.Kenneth Catania begins by discussing how ideas set the stage for scientific breakthroughs and goes on to describe ways to approach experimental design. He sheds light on the importance of art in making discoveries and demonstrates how to find and tell a compelling story about a scientific result while accurately communicating its findings. What role does failure play in science? Is it possible to fail better? How do you define success? Catania provides insights to these and other questions, along the way sharing the lessons he’s learned from diverse figures ranging from science philosopher Thomas Kuhn to novelist Stephen King.Blending illuminating historical examples with insights from Catania’s own groundbreaking research in biology and neuroscience, On the Art and Craft of Doing Science draws parallels with art and writing to reveal the creative side to the practice of good science. Autorid: Kenneth Catania

"How children's non-belief and non-religion are formed in everyday lifeThe number of those identifying as "non-religious" has risen rapidly in Britain and many other parts of Europe and North America. Although non-religion and non-belief are especially prevalent among younger people, we know little about the experience of children who are growing up without religion. In Growing Up Godless, Anna Strhan and Rachael Shillitoe fill this scholarly gap, examining how, when, where, and with whom children in England learn to be non-religious and non-believing. Drawing on in-depth interviews and extensive ethnographic fieldwork with children, their parents, and teachers, Strhan and Shillitoe offer a pioneering account of what these children believe in and care about and how they navigate a social landscape of growing religious diversity.Moving beyond the conventional understanding of non-religion as merely the absence of religion, Strhan and Shillitoe show how children's non-religion and non-belief emerge in relation to a pervasive humanism-centering the agency, significance, and achievements of humans and values of equality and respect-interwoven in their homes, schools, media, and culture. Their findings offer important new insight into the rise and formation of non-religious identities and, more broadly, the ways that children's beliefs and values are shaped in contemporary society"-- "In Britain, as in many other countries across Europe, non-religion has now replaced Christianity as the cultural default, especially among younger age groups. There is for the first time a no-religion majority, and only around half the overall population now express belief in some kind of God. And while religion continues to feature prominently in children's education in countries like the UK, schools are, increasingly, making space in the classroom for nonreligious stances toward life. But as of yet, there has been scant scholarly attention accorded to what this development means for children, and families with young children. Religion has long been seen as an important aspect of an upbringing that stresses character development and good moral conduct.What does such an upbringing look like when children grow up non-religious? This book explores how, when, where, and with whom children learn to be non-religious, paying particular attention to the everyday practices through which non-religion is transmitted from parents-and, in some cases, school teachers-to children. In this book, Strhan and Shillitoe draw on their extensive ethnographic fieldwork in family homes and in children's schools, and on in-depth interviews with children, parents, and school teachers in three contrasting sites in England. The views of the children themselves (mostly aged 7-11 years old, a period when children become aware of their identities and worldviews) are taken seriously alongside those of their caregivers and instructors. The authors argue that nonreligious children and their parents are motivated by an ethics focused on equality, compassion, and social justice-values seen as unconnected to churches and other religious institutions"-- How children’s non-belief and non-religion are formed in everyday lifeThe number of those identifying as “non-religious” has risen rapidly in Britain and many other parts of Europe and North America. Although non-religion and non-belief are especially prevalent among younger people, we know little about the experience of children who are growing up without religion. In Growing Up Godless, Anna Strhan and Rachael Shillitoe fill this scholarly gap, examining how, when, where, and with whom children in England learn to be non-religious and non-believing. Drawing on in-depth interviews and extensive ethnographic fieldwork with children, their parents, and teachers, Strhan and Shillitoe offer a pioneering account of what these children believe in and care about and how they navigate a social landscape of growing religious diversity.Moving beyond the conventional understanding of non-religion as merely the absence of religion, Strhan and Shillitoe show how children’s non-religion and non-belief emerge in relation to a pervasive humanism—centering the agency, significance, and achievements of humans and values of equality and respect—interwoven in their homes, schools, media, and culture. Their findings offer important new insight into the rise and formation of non-religious identities and, more broadly, the ways that children’s beliefs and values are shaped in contemporary society. Autorid: Anna Strhan, Rachael Shillitoe

"An annotated bibliography that documents the work of the longtime New Yorker writer, journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Princeton professor John McPhee"-- "An annotated guide to the work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, teacher, and pioneer of creative nonfictionJohn McPhee has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1965 and has written more than thirty acclaimed books that began on the magazine's pages. But few readers know or fully appreciate the true breadth of his writing. Looking for a Story is a complete reader's guide to McPhee's vast published work, documenting much rarely seen or connected with McPhee, including remarkable early writingfor Time magazine published without his name.In chronicling McPhee's career where he broke ground applying devices long associated with fiction to the literature of fact, Noel Rubinton gives insights into McPhee's techniques, choice of subjects, and research methods, shedding light on how McPhee turns complicated subjects like geology into compelling stories. Beyond detailing more than seventy years of McPhee's writing, Rubinton recounts McPhee's half century as a Princeton University writing professor, a little known part of his legacy. McPhee inspired generations of students who wrote hundreds of books of their own, also catalogued here.With an incisive foreword by New Yorker staff writer and former McPhee student Peter Hessler, Looking for a Story also includes extensive annotated listings of articles about McPhee, reviews of his books, and interviews, readings, and speeches. Whether you are already an admirer of McPhee or new to his writings, this book provides an invaluable road map to his rich bodyof work"-- An annotated guide to the work of the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, teacher, and pioneer of creative nonfictionJohn McPhee has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1965 and has written more than thirty acclaimed books that began on the magazine’s pages. But few readers know or fully appreciate the true breadth of his writing. Looking for a Story is a complete reader’s guide to McPhee’s vast published work, documenting much rarely seen or connected with McPhee, including remarkable early writing for Time magazine published without his name.In chronicling McPhee’s career where he broke ground applying devices long associated with fiction to the literature of fact, Noel Rubinton gives insights into McPhee’s techniques, choice of subjects, and research methods, shedding light on how McPhee turns complicated subjects like geology into compelling stories. Beyond detailing more than seventy years of McPhee’s writing, Rubinton recounts McPhee’s half century as a Princeton University writing professor, a little known part of his legacy. McPhee inspired generations of students who wrote hundreds of books of their own, also catalogued here.With an incisive foreword by New Yorker staff writer and former McPhee student Peter Hessler, Looking for a Story also includes extensive annotated listings of articles about McPhee, reviews of his books, and interviews, readings, and speeches. Whether you are already an admirer of McPhee or new to his writings, this book provides an invaluable road map to his rich body of work. Autorid: Noel Rubinton

A riveting account of how a popularly elected leader has steered the world's largest democracy toward authoritarianism and intoleranceOver the past two decades, thanks to Narendra Modi, Hindu nationalism has been coupled with a form of national-populism that has ensured its success at the polls, first in Gujarat and then in India at large. Modi managed to seduce a substantial number of citizens by promising them development and polarizing the electorate along ethno-religious lines. Both facets of this national-populism found expression in a highly personalized political style as Modi related directly to the voters through all kinds of channels of communication in order to saturate the public space.Drawing on original interviews conducted across India, Christophe Jaffrelot shows how Modi's government has moved India toward a new form of democracy, an ethnic democracy that equates the majoritarian community with the nation and relegates Muslims and Christians to second-class citizens who are harassed by vigilante groups. He discusses how the promotion of Hindu nationalism has resulted in attacks against secularists, intellectuals, universities, and NGOs. Jaffrelot explains how the political system of India has acquired authoritarian features for other reasons, too. Eager to govern not only in New Delhi, but also in the states, the government has centralized power at the expense of federalism and undermined institutions that were part of the checks and balances, including India's Supreme Court.Modi's India is a sobering account of how a once-vibrant democracy can go wrong when a government backed by popular consent suppresses dissent while growing increasingly intolerant of ethnic and religious minorities. Autorid: Christophe Jaffrelot, Cynthia Schoch

How four American cities shaped Poe's life and writingsEdgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) changed residences about once a year throughout his life. Driven by a desire for literary success and the pressures of supporting his family, Poe sought work in American magazines, living in the cities that produced them. Scott Peeples chronicles Poe's rootless life in the cities, neighborhoods, and rooms where he lived and worked, exploring how each new place left its enduring mark on the writer and his craft.Poe wrote short stories, poems, journalism, and editorials with urban readers in mind. He witnessed urban slavery up close, living and working within a few blocks of slave jails and auction houses in Richmond and among enslaved workers in Baltimore. In Philadelphia, he saw an expanding city struggling to contain its own violent propensities. At a time when suburbs were just beginning to offer an alternative to crowded city dwellings, he tried living cheaply on the then-rural Upper West Side of Manhattan, and later in what is now the Bronx. Poe's urban mysteries and claustrophobic tales of troubled minds and abused bodies reflect his experiences living among the soldiers, slaves, and immigrants of the American city.Featuring evocative photographs by Michelle Van Parys, The Man of the Crowd challenges the popular conception of Poe as an isolated artist living in a world of his own imagination, detached from his physical surroundings. The Poe who emerges here is a man whose outlook and career were shaped by the cities where he lived, longing for a stable home. Autorid: Michelle Van Parys, Scott Peeples

Muslim intellectuals who sought to establish the boundaries of modern Muslim identityMuslim modernism was a political and intellectual movement that sought to redefine the relationship between Islam and the colonial West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Spearheaded by Muslim leaders in Asia and the Middle East, the modernist project arose from a desire to reconcile Islamic beliefs and practices with European ideas of secularism, scientific progress, women’s rights, and democratic representation. Teena Purohit provides innovative readings of the foundational thinkers of Muslim modernism, showing how their calls for unity and reform led to the marginalization of Muslim minority communities that is still with us today.Sunni Chauvinism and the Roots of Muslim Modernism offers fresh perspectives on figures such as Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, Muhammad Iqbal, and Abul A’la Mawdudi. It sheds light on the exclusionary impulses and Sunni normative biases of modernist Muslim writers and explores how their aim to unite the global Muslim community—which was stagnant and fragmented in their eyes—also created lasting divisions. While modernists claimed to represent all Muslims when they asserted the centrality and significance of unity, they questioned the status of groups such as Ahmadis, Bahais, and the Shia more broadly.Addressing timely questions about religious authority and reform in modern Islam, this incisive book reveals how modernist notions of Islam as a single homogeneous tradition gave rise to enduring debates about who belongs to the Muslim community and who should be excluded. Autorid: Teena U. Purohit

The extraordinary life story of the celebrated naturalist who transformed our understanding of evolution Enchanted by Daphne is legendary ecologist Peter Grants personal account of his remarkable life and career. In this revelatory book, Grant takes readers from his childhood in World War IIera Britain to his ongoing research today in the Galápagos archipelago, vividly describing what it's like to do fieldwork in one of the most magnificent yet inhospitable places on Earth. This is also the story of two brilliant and courageous biologists raising a family together while balancing the demands of professional lives that would take them to the far corners of the globe. In 1973, Grant and his wife, Rosemary, embarked on a journey that would fundamentally change how we think about evolution. Over the next four decades, they visited the Galápagos every year to observe Darwins famous finches on the remote, uninhabited island of Daphne Major. Documenting how eighteen species have diversified from a single ancestral species, they demonstrated that we could actually see and measure evolution in a natural setting. Grant recounts the blind alleys and breathtaking triumphs of this historic research as he and Rosemary followed in Darwins footstepsand ushered in a new era in ecology. A wonderfully absorbing portrait of a life in science, Enchanted by Daphne is an unforgettable chronicle of the travels and discoveries of one of the worlds most influential naturalists. Autorid: Peter R. Grant

How the development of legal and financial institutions transformed Britain into the world’s first capitalist countryModern capitalism emerged in England in the eighteenth century and ushered in the Industrial Revolution, though scholars have long debated why. Some attribute the causes to technological change while others point to the Protestant ethic, liberal ideas, and cultural change. The Wealth of a Nation reveals the crucial developments in legal and financial institutions in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that help to explain this dramatic transformation.Offering new perspectives on the early history of capitalism, Geoffrey Hodgson describes how, for the emerging British economy, pressures from without were as important as evolution from within. He shows how intensive military conflicts overseas forced the state to undertake major financial, administrative, legal, and political reforms. The resulting institutional changes not only bolstered the British war machine—they fostered the Industrial Revolution. Hodgson traces how Britain’s war capitalism led to an expansion of its empire and a staggering increase in the slave trade, and how the institutional innovations that radically transformed the British economy were copied and adapted by countries around the world.A landmark work of scholarship, The Wealth of a Nation sheds light on how external factors such as war gave rise to institutional arrangements that facilitated finance, banking, and investment, and offers a conceptual framework for further research into the origins and consolidation of capitalism in England. Autorid: Geoffrey M. Hodgson

A concise and rigorous introduction to widely used approaches in structural econometric modeling Structural econometric modeling specifies the structure of an economic model and estimates the model’s parameters from real-world data. Structural econometric modeling enables better economic theory–based predictions and policy counterfactuals. This book offers a primer on recent developments in these modeling techniques, which are used widely in empirical industrial organization, quantitative marketing, and related fields. It covers such topics as discrete choice modeling, demand modes, estimation of the firm entry models with strategic interactions, consumer search, and theory/empirics of auctions. The book makes highly technical material accessible to graduate students, describing key insights succinctly but without sacrificing rigor.• Concise overview of the most widely used structural econometric models• Rigorous and systematic treatment of the topics, emphasizing key insights• Coverage of demand estimation, estimation of static and dynamic game theoretic models, consumer search, and auctions• Focus on econometric models while providing concise reviews of relevant theoretical models Autorid: Ali Hortaçsu, Joonhwi Joo

A powerful case for why majority rulenot representationis the defining feature of democratic politics The idea that democratic governance rests on active self-rule by citizens plays surprisingly little part in current theories of democracy, which instead stress the importance of representation by elected, appointed, or randomly selected bodies such as legislatures, courts, and juries. This would have astonished eighteenth-century theorists of democracy, who viewed universal suffrage and majoritarian voting as the sole criteria for democratic politics. Active and Passive Citizens defends the view of these earlier thinkers, asserting that individual agency is the very essence of democracy. In this provocative and lucidly argued book, Richard Tuck draws on the distinction made by the Abbé Sieyès, a leading political theorist of the French Revolution, between active citizens (the electorate) and passive ones (those who are represented by the institutions of the state). Tuck traces our current representative view of democracy to Sieyès and contrasts him with Rousseau, a theorist of active self-rule by the people. Tuck argues that modern theories of democracy have effectively turned us into passive citizens and calls for a renewal of a majoritarian democracy that realizes the full potential of active citizenship. Based on the prestigious Tanner Lectures delivered at Princeton Universitys Center for Human Values, Active and Passive Citizens is edited and introduced by Stephen Macedo and includes commentary by political theorists Simone Chambers, Joshua Cohen, John Ferejohn, and Melissa Schwartzberg. Autorid: Richard Tuck, Melissa Schwartzberg, John Ferejohn, Joshua Cohen, Simone Chambers, Stephen Macedo

"The essential introduction to modern statistical mechanics-now completely updated and expandedStatistical mechanics is one of the most exciting areas of physics today and has applications to subjects ranging from economics and social behavior to algorithmic theory and evolutionary biology. Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell provides a self-contained introduction to this rapidly developing field. Starting with the basics of kinetic theory and requiring only a background in elementary calculus and mechanics, this concise book discusses the most important developments of recent decades and guides readers to the very threshold of today's cutting-edge research.Features a new chapter on stochastic thermodynamics with an introduction to the thermodynamics of information-the first treatment of its kind in an introductory textbookCovers new topics such as the theory of defect-mediated transitions and presents a wealth of new examplesOffers a more detailed account of numerical simulations, including simulated annealing and other accelerated Monte Carlo methodsThe chapter on complex systems now features an accessible introduction to the replica theory of spin glasses and the Hopfield theory of neural networks, with an emphasis on applicationsProvides a new discussion of defect-mediated transitions and of their implications for two-dimensional meltingAn invaluable resource for graduate students and advanced undergraduates seeking a compact primer on the core ideas of statistical mechanics"-- "Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell offers a concise, self-contained advanced undergraduate to graduate level introduction to this rapidly developing field, requiring a background in elementary calculus and elementary mechanics. It starts with the basics, introduces the most important developments in classical statistical mechanics over the last thirty years, and guides readers to the very threshold of today's cutting-edge research. The author has revised the first 5 chapters (harmonizing the notation, improving the proofs, checking all exercises and adding a few additional interesting ones). He has also added a new chapter on stochastic thermodynamics, which finds its place after the 9th chapter. The appendices will also be completely rewritten, emphasizing the role of convexity and the Jensen inequality. Chapter 8 will be improved to include some important topics: namely, thermostats and fast algorithms. Chapter 9 will also be rewritten to modernize it and to transition to the new chapter on stochastic thermodynamics. Chapter 10 will be split in two, to focus on "disordered systems" and "complex systems," to emphasize applications (including neural networks and optimization algorithms), and to introduce some fundamental techniques (like the cavity method and message passing) at an elementary level. The goal of the new edition is to help the reader find her/his way into and through the vast, recent literature concerning statistical mechanics and to build a sense of the many fields in which the discipline has recently been applied"-- The essential introduction to modern statistical mechanics—now completely updated and expandedStatistical mechanics is one of the most exciting areas of physics today and has applications to subjects ranging from economics and social behavior to algorithmic theory and evolutionary biology. Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell provides a self-contained introduction to this rapidly developing field. Starting with the basics of kinetic theory and requiring only a background in elementary calculus and mechanics, this concise book discusses the most important developments of recent decades and guides readers to the very threshold of today’s cutting-edge research.Features a new chapter on stochastic thermodynamics with an introduction to the thermodynamics of information—the first treatment of its kind in an introductory textbookOffers a more detailed account of numerical simulations, including simulated annealing and other accelerated Monte Carlo methodsThe chapter on complex systems now features an accessible introduction to the replica theory of spin glasses and the Hopfield theory of neural networks, with an emphasis on applicationsProvides a new discussion of defect-mediated transitions and their implications for two-dimensional meltingAn invaluable resource for graduate students and advanced undergraduates seeking a compact primer on the core ideas of statistical mechanicsSolutions manual (available only to instructors) Autorid: Luca Peliti, Anthony Zee

Fascinating profiles of modern writers and artists who tapped the political potential of fairy tales Jack Zipes has spent decades as a scholarly scavenger, discovering forgotten fairy tales in libraries, flea markets, used bookstores, and internet searches, and he has introduced countless readers to these remarkable works and their authors. In Buried Treasures, Zipes describes his special passion for uncovering political fairy tales of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, offers fascinating profiles of more than a dozen of their writers and illustrators, and shows why they deserve greater attention and appreciation. These writers and artists used their remarkable talents to confront political oppression and economic exploitation by creating alternative, imaginative worlds that test the ethics and morals of the real world and expose hidden truths. Among the figures we meet here are Édouard Laboulaye, a jurist who wrote acute fairy tales about justice; Charles Godfrey Leland, a folklorist who found other worlds in tales of Native Americans, witches, and Roma; Kurt Schwitters, an artist who wrote satirical, antiauthoritarian stories; Mariette Lydis, a painter who depicted lost-and-found souls; Lisa Tetzner, who dramatized exploitation by elites; Felix Salten, who unveiled the real meaning of Bambis dangerous life in the forest; and Gianni Rodari, whose work showed just how political and insightful fantasy stories can be. Demonstrating the uncanny power of political fairy tales, Buried Treasures also shows how their fictional realities not only enrich our understanding of the world but even give us tools to help us survive. Autorid: Jack Zipes

An invaluable guide for scholars stifled by the traditional academic routeIn the increasingly competitive world of academia, simply mastering your discipline is no longer enough to guarantee career success or personal fulfillment. The Entrepreneurial Scholar challenges scholars at all stages—from doctoral students to tenured professors—to break free from conventional academic pathways by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset. What opportunities can you create based on who you are, what you know, and who you know?Drawing on her experiences in higher education, start-ups, and management consulting, as well as interviews with a range of academics and entrepreneurs, Ilana Horwitz provides a road map for those stifled by traditional academic norms and expectations. This book calls on scholars to create ideas—not just consume them. It offers strategies to thrive in academia with limited resources and in the face of uncertainty. Embracing an entrepreneurial mindset entails viewing yourself as a knowledge producer, enhancing collaboration, creatively identifying resources, and effectively sharing your ideas.Horwitz empowers all scholars—particularly women and first-generation, low-income, and BIPOC individuals—to see themselves as proactive agents in their educational and career trajectories, despite structural constraints, unclear expectations, or unresponsive advisors. With actionable advice, real-world applications, and inspiring success stories, this guide is vital for anyone aspiring to excel within and beyond the ivory tower. Autorid: Ilana M. Horwitz

An introduction to the state of the art in the study of Kähler groups This book gives an authoritative and up-to-date introduction to the study of fundamental groups of compact Kähler manifolds, known as Kähler groups. Approaching the subject from the perspective of a geometric group theorist, Pierre Py equips readers with the necessary background in both geometric group theory and Kähler geometry, covering topics such as the actions of Kähler groups on spaces of nonpositive curvature, the large-scale geometry of infinite covering spaces of compact Kähler manifolds, and the topology of level sets of pluriharmonic functions. Presenting the most important results from the past three decades, the book provides graduate students and researchers with detailed original proofs of several central theorems, including Gromov and Schoens description of Kähler group actions on trees; the study of solvable quotients of Kähler groups following the works of Arapura, Beauville, Campana, Delzant, and Nori; and Napier and Ramachandrans work characterizing covering spaces of compact Kähler manifolds having many ends. It also describes without proof many of the recent breakthroughs in the field. Lectures on Kähler Groups also gives, in eight appendixes, detailed introductions to such topics as the study of ends of groups and spaces, groups acting on trees and Hilbert spaces, potential theory, and L2 cohomology on Riemannian manifolds. Autorid: Pierre Py

"This book uncovers the ways natural selection leads to imperfection in humans and the implications of this for our understanding of how evolution works and human biology and health. The simplest version of evolution frames it as a gradual process that leads to constant improvement. This view holds that natural selection drives toward "perfection." Mutations in an organism's genome either harm or help its ability to reproduce; harmful ones don't last while beneficial ones are passed on and spread throughout a population. As Laurence Hurst argues in this book, the reality is far more complicated. This is particularly true for humans at the level of our DNA. Why, for example do we need so many sperm to fertilize one egg? Or why do we have a high rate of genetic disease? And why does much of our DNA appear to be pointless? These imperfections do not make sense when we assume that evolution is a constantly improving process, yet the more scientists study our genome the more they see things that look like imperfections. How, then, are they explained? After carefully introducing readers to what he means by perfection and imperfection and providing basic information about DNA, Hurst provides evidence for why the human genome retains imperfections. He argues that our small populations, high mutation rates, and mode of reproduction leave us vulnerable to all sorts of problems. In dissecting the evolution of our imperfection, Hurst illuminates what scientists are learning about the human genome and why it seems tocause so many issues despite our success as a species. Finally, despite what we might call our "rotten lot," evolutionarily speaking, we have our big brains and medicine to combat genetic disease and, at the end of the book, Hurst reviews what scientistsare learning about curing genetically based diseases"-- How understanding our genetic imperfections can change our view of evolution and enrich what it means to be humanIf we start with the presumption that evolution is a constantly improving process, some aspects of our evolution just do not make sense. We have a high rate of genetic diseases, for example, and much of our DNA seems to be pointless. In The Evolution of Imperfection, Laurence Hurst explores our apparently rotten genetic luck.Hurst, a leading authority on evolution and genetics, argues that our evolutionary imperfections proceed directly from two features: the difficulties of pregnancy and the fact that historically there are relatively few of us. In pregnancy, natural selection can favor chromosomes that kill embryos in species (including ours) that continuously receive resources from the mother. Most fertilized eggs don’t make it, and incompatibilities between the fetus and mother can lead to lethal disorders of pregnancy. The historically small population size enhances the role of chance, which in turn leads to both accumulation of unnecessary DNA and more mutation.So what can save us? One answer may lie in genetic medicine, which has given us therapies that make killer conditions preventable and even curable.Hurst suggests that our seeming imperfections could be the key to a new way to understand evolution itself. Looking at circumstances that seem to defy explanation, we might come to a richer understanding of how evolution really works, and what it means to be human. Autorid: Laurence D. Hurst

An authoritative two-volume survey of the wild plants of Britain and IrelandPlant Atlas 2020 presents the results of field surveys by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, building on past atlas surveys undertaken by the Botanical Society in the early and late twentieth century. Drawing on the work of thousands of botanists who covered the entirety of Britain and Ireland between 2000 and 2019, this two-volume book features introductory chapters that provide a detailed assessment of the changes to the region’s flora over the past hundred years. Distribution maps and accompanying text and graphics display the phenology, altitudinal range, and time-series trends for some 2,700 native, alien, and hybrid species. With more than 30 million records gathered during the project, Plant Atlas 2020 will serve as an essential resource for the study and conservation of these wild plants and their vitally important habitats for decades to come.The most in-depth survey of British and Irish flora ever undertakenCovers some 2,700 species, including alien and hybrid plantsFeatures a wealth of distribution maps, each one accompanied by informative text and infographicsA must-have reference book for botanists, field naturalists, conservation organizations, government agencies, and anyone interested in the diverse plant life of the British IslesA monumental achievement decades in the makingPublished in association with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland Autorid: P. A. Stroh, K. J. Walker, T. A. Humphrey, O. L. Pescott, R. J. Burkmar

A thought-provoking study of how knowledge of provenance was not transferred with enslaved people and goods from the Portuguese trading empire to Renaissance ItalyIn the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Renaissance Italy received a bounty of "goods" from Portuguese trading voyages—fruits of empire that included luxury goods, exotic animals and even enslaved people. Many historians hold that this imperial "opening up" of the world transformed the way Europeans understood the global. In this book, K.J.P. Lowe challenges such an assumption, showing that Italians of this era cared more about the possession than the provenance of their newly acquired global goods. With three detailed case studies involving Florence and Rome, and drawing on unpublished archival material, Lowe documents the myriad occasions on which global knowledge became dissociated from overseas objects, animals and people. Fundamental aspects of these imperial imports, including place of origin and provenance, she shows, failed to survive the voyage and make landfall in Europe. Lowe suggests that there were compelling reasons for not knowing or caring about provenance, and concludes that geographical knowledge, like all knowledge, was often restricted and not valued.Examining such documents as ledger entries, journals and public and private correspondence as well as extant objects, and asking previously unasked questions, Lowe meticulously reconstructs the backstories of Portuguese imperial acquisitions, painstakingly supplying the context. She chronicles the phenomenon of mixed-ancestry children at Florence’s foundling hospital; the ownership of inanimate luxury goods, notably those possessed by the Medicis; and the acquisition of enslaved people and animals. How and where goods were acquired, Lowe argues, were of no interest to fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italians; possession was paramount. Autorid: K. J. P. Lowe

A provocative defense of a forgotten Chinese approach to identity and differenceHistorically, the Western encounter with difference has been catastrophic: the extermination and displacement of aboriginal populations, the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism. China, however, took a different historical path. In Chinese Cosmopolitanism, Shuchen Xiang argues that the Chinese cultural tradition was, from its formative beginnings and throughout its imperial history, a cosmopolitan melting pot that synthesized the different cultures that came into its orbit. Unlike the West, which cast its collisions with different cultures in Manichean terms of the ontologically irreconcilable difference between civilization and barbarism, China was a dynamic identity created out of difference. The reasons for this, Xiang argues, are philosophical: Chinese philosophy has the conceptual resources for providing alternative ways to understand pluralism.Xiang explains that “Chinese” identity is not what the West understands as a racial identity; it is not a group of people related by common descent or heredity but rather a hybrid of coalescing cultures. To use the Western discourse of race to frame the Chinese view of non-Chinese, she argues, is a category error. Xiang shows that China was both internally cosmopolitan, embracing distinct peoples into a common identity, and externally cosmopolitan, having knowledge of faraway lands without an ideological need to subjugate them. Contrasting the Chinese understanding of efficacy—described as “harmony”—with the Western understanding of order, she argues that the Chinese sought to gain influence over others by having them spontaneously accept the virtue of one’s position. These ideas from Chinese philosophy, she contends, offer a new way to understand today’s multipolar world and can make a valuable contribution to contemporary discussions in the critical philosophy of race. Autorid: Shuchen Xiang

A provocative account of Jewish encounters with the public baths of ancient RomePublic bathhouses embodied the Roman way of life, from food and fashion to sculpture and sports. The most popular institution of the ancient Mediterranean world, the baths drew people of all backgrounds. They were places suffused with nudity, sex, and magic. A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse reveals how Jews navigated this space with ease and confidence, engaging with Roman bath culture rather than avoiding it.In this landmark interdisciplinary work of cultural history, Yaron Eliav uses the Roman bathhouse as a social laboratory to reexamine how Jews interacted with Graeco-Roman culture. He reconstructs their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the baths and the activities that took place there, documenting their pleasures as well as their anxieties and concerns. Archaeologists have excavated hundreds of bathhouse facilities across the Mediterranean. Graeco-Roman writers mention the bathhouse frequently, and rabbinic literature contains hundreds of references to the baths. Eliav draws on the archaeological and literary record to offer fresh perspectives on the Jews of antiquity, developing a new model for the ways smaller and often weaker groups interact with large, dominant cultures.A compelling and richly evocative work of scholarship, A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse challenges us to rethink the relationship between Judaism and Graeco-Roman society, shedding new light on how cross-cultural engagement shaped Western civilization. Autorid: Yaron Eliav

A definitive reframing of the economic, institutional, and intellectual history of the managerial eraThe twentieth century was the managerial century in the United States. An organizational transformation, from entrepreneurial to managerial capitalism, brought forth what became a dominant narrative: that administrative coordination by trained professional managers is essential to the efficient running of organizations both public and private. And yet if managerialism was the apotheosis of administrative efficiency, why did both its practice and the accompanying narrative lie in ruins by the end of the century? In The Corporation and the Twentieth Century, Richard Langlois offers an alternative version: a comprehensive and nuanced reframing and reassessment of the economic, institutional, and intellectual history of the managerial era.Langlois argues that managerialism rose to prominence not because of its inherent superiority but because of its contingent value in a young and rapidly developing American economy. The structures of managerialism solidified their dominance only because the century’s great catastrophes of war, depression, and war again superseded markets, scrambled relative prices, and weakened market-supporting institutions. By the end of the twentieth century, Langlois writes, these market-supporting institutions had reemerged to shift advantage toward entrepreneurial and market-driven modes of organization.This magisterial new account of the rise and fall of managerialism holds significant implications for contemporary debates about industrial and antitrust policies and the role of the corporation in the twenty-first century. Autorid: Richard N. Langlois

How most presidents avoid upsetting the racial status quo—and why those who do pave the way for lawless, norm-violating successorsWhen Barack Obama won the White House in 2008, becoming the nation’s first Black president, the stage was set for Donald Trump’s eventual rise to power. Backlash Presidents shows how, throughout American history, administrations that challenge the country’s racial status quo are followed by presidents who deal in racially charged politics and presidential lawlessness, culminating in impeachment crises.In this incisive book, Julia Azari traces the connections between racially transformative presidents and their successors, examining the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and Obama and Trump. When he signed long-awaited civil rights legislation in 1964, Lyndon Johnson unleashed a perfect political storm that swept Nixon into the White House. Azari demonstrates how Nixon’s rhetoric, relationship to Congress, and attitudes about executive power exhibit striking parallels with Andrew Johnson and Trump. She discusses how their actions are linked to race and racialized institutions—the Department of War during Reconstruction, the FBI during the Nixon years, and elections today—and looks at what happens after impeachment, describing how the rush to establish a new order perpetuates many of the same problems as the old.Challenging the conventional wisdom of about the role of norms in American democracy, Backlash Presidents reveals how normal presidential politics upholds unsustainable racial hierarchy that in turn gives rise to intense periods of instability. Autorid: Julia R. Azari

A beautifully illustrated photographic identification guide to the common marine fish found around Britain and Ireland—ideal for divers, snorkellers, and natural history enthusiastsFish are a colourful and important part of inshore marine life, much admired by divers and snorkellers. But it can be difficult to accurately identify and record these quick-moving animals underwater. This authoritative, beautifully illustrated photographic guide offers a practical, easy-to-use approach for identifying the fish species commonly seen in the waters around Britain and Ireland, as well as a few vagrant and interesting rare species. The book’s concise text explains how fish can be identified underwater, and is accompanied by numerous photographs of each species in its natural environment and diagrams illustrating key features. The book also clearly indicates the cases when underwater species identification is more difficult. Published in association with the UK’s Marine Conservation Society, the book makes an invaluable addition to the series of marine photographic titles of Seasearch, a species recording project for volunteer sports divers.Features individual descriptions of more than 150 species, with information on size, depth range, habitat and distribution in the Seasearch guide icon formatIllustrates every species in its natural underwater environmentEmphasises key identification features and possible confusion speciesIncludes a “confidence guide” distinguishing between easily recognisable species and those requiring closer examinationFeatures longer sections highlighting interesting species, behaviours and other topicsProvides information on protected species, taxonomy, shifting distributions and conservation status Autorid: Lin Baldock, Frances Dipper

A personal account of—and guide to—unlocking the wildlife potential of gardens and other plots of land in lowland BritainOver the past decade, wildlife author and photographer Paul Sterry has nurtured, both through action and by doing nothing, what has become a small island of flourishing biodiversity in the half-acre garden that surrounds his north Hampshire cottage. By giving nature a free hand, and fostering habitats appropriate to this part of southeast England, he has enabled an abundance of native plant and animal species to call the garden home. This contrasts with the continued decline in biodiversity in the surrounding countryside. In this inspiring and informative book, Sterry tells the story of his own experiences in biodiversity gardening and offers detailed practical advice to anyone who wants to give nature the upper hand on their own bit of land, no matter how small.Hampshire still retains traces of its rich wildlife heritage, but changes in land use over the past half-century have had a devastating impact on local biodiversity. Against this backdrop, The Biodiversity Gardener presents a habitat-driven and evidence-based approach, describing how any gardener can unlock the wildlife potential of their plot and enjoy the satisfaction of watching it become home to a rich array of native species, including butterflies, wildflowers, grasshoppers, amphibians, and fungi.In The Biodiversity Gardener, Sterry explains the ecological imperative of adopting this approach. Collectively, biodiversity gardens could leave a lasting legacy—wildlife oases from which future generations stand a fighting chance of restoring Britain’s natural heritage. The book encourages and empowers readers to create their own biological inheritance for posterity—and shows them how they can do it. Autorid: Paul Sterry

An essential history of Wahhabism from its founding to the Islamic StateIn the mid-eighteenth century, a controversial Islamic movement arose in the central Arabian region of Najd that forever changed the political landscape of the Arabian Peninsula and the history of Islamic thought. Its founder, Mu ammad ibn ?Abd al-Wahhab, taught that most professed Muslims were polytheists due to their veneration of Islamic saints at tombs and gravesites. He preached that true Muslims, those who worship God alone, must show hatred and enmity toward these polytheists and fight them in jihad. Cole Bunzel tells the story of Wahhabism from its emergence in the 1740s to its taming and coopting by the modern Saudi state in the 1920s, and shows how its legacy endures in the ideologies of al-Qa ida and the Islamic State.Drawing on a wealth of primary source materials, Bunzel traces the origins of Wahhabi doctrine to the religious thought of medieval theologian Ibn Taymiyya and examines its development through several generations of Wahhabi scholars. While widely seen as heretical and schismatic, the movement nonetheless flourished in central Arabia, spreading across the peninsula under the political authority of the Al Su ud dynasty until the invading Egyptian army crushed it in 1818. The militant Wahhabi ethos, however, persisted well into the early twentieth century, when the Saudi kingdom used Wahhabism to bolster its legitimacy.This incisive history is the definitive account of a militant Islamic movement founded on enmity toward non-Wahhabi Muslims and that is still with us today in the violent doctrines of Sunni jihadis. Autorid: Cole M. Bunzel

An investigation of what it means to have children—morally, philosophically and emotionally“Do you want to have children?” is a question we routinely ask each other. But what does it mean to create a child? Is this decision always justified? Does anyone really have the moral right to create another person? In Begetting, Mara van der Lugt attempts to fill in the moral background of procreation. Drawing on both philosophy and popular culture, van der Lugt does not provide a definitive answer on the morality of having a child; instead, she helps us find the right questions to ask.Most of the time, when we talk about whether to have children, what we are really talking about is whether we want to have children. Van der Lugt shows why this is not enough. To consider having children, she argues, is to interrogate our own responsibility and commitments, morally and philosophically and also personally. What does it mean to bring a new creature into the world, to decide to perform an act of creation? What does it mean to make the decision that life is worth living on behalf of a person who cannot be consulted? These questions are part of a conversation we should have started long ago. Van der Lugt does not ignore the problematic aspects of procreation—ethical, environmental and otherwise. But she also acknowledges the depth and complexity of the intensely human desire to have a child of our own blood and our own making. Autorid: Mara van der Lugt

A highly illustrated and portable identification guide to the most common wild flowers and other plantsThis innovative photographic guide covers the most common wild flowers and other plants found in Great Britain and Ireland, as defined by the very latest distribution maps. It is designed so that anyone faced with an unfamiliar wild plant can confidently put a name to the species or recognise that it is a less common plant needing further investigation. The identification process is based on standard botanical features that are straightforwardly described, clearly illustrated and supported by a simple visual key to families. This book can be your springboard into the wider world of botanical identification, wherever you are, and of plants both common and rare.Covers the plants most likely to be seen, including those in coastal areasIncludes more than 1,000 colour photographs, with macro images of key features when neededFeatures a friendly, easy-to-use design and text written in plain English, with essential botanical terms described and illustrated Autorid: Rachel Hamilton, Chris Gibson, Robert Still

A new account of Shakespearean tragedy as a response to life in an uncertain worldIn Shakespeare’s Tragic Art, Rhodri Lewis offers a powerfully original reassessment of tragedy as Shakespeare wrote it—of what drew him toward tragic drama, what makes his tragedies distinctive, and why they matter.After reconstructing tragic theory and practice as Shakespeare and his contemporaries knew them, Lewis considers in detail each of Shakespeare’s tragedies from Titus Andronicus to Coriolanus. He argues that these plays are a series of experiments whose greatness lies in their author’s nerve-straining determination to represent the experience of living in a world that eludes rational analysis. They explore not just our inability to know ourselves as we would like to, but the compensatory and generally unacknowledged fictions to which we bind ourselves in our hunger for meaning—from the political, philosophical, social, and religious to the racial, sexual, personal, and familial. Lewis’s Shakespeare not only creates tragedies that exceed those written before them. Through his art, he also affirms and invigorates the kinds of knowing that are available to intelligent animals like us.A major reevaluation of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Shakespeare’s Tragic Art is essential reading for anyone interested in Shakespeare, tragedy, or the capacity of literature to help us navigate the perplexities of the human condition. Autorid: Rhodri Lewis

An accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the concepts and tools of theoretical ecologyTheoretical ecology explores the mechanisms that structure ecological communities using a variety of mathematical and computational tools. Theoretical Ecology shows you how to translate ecological problems into mechanistic models using both mathematics and the programming language R. The book teaches key concepts and core quantitative skills while also devoting significant attention to the reasons for building mathematical ecological models. Why do species populations fluctuate over time and space? How do multiple species coexist? What forces drive nutrient and carbon cycles? Does higher species diversity lead to higher biomass? Each chapter in this incisive and informative book is motivated by questions like these, and every chapter includes boxes that delve into mathematical details and provide coding examples in R.Focuses on mathematical and computational methods while also drawing on conceptual and graphical approaches, and explores how the various approaches complement one anotherTeaches students the skills they need to implement and analyze ecological models in RCovers topics ranging from single-species, competition, and predator–prey models to community ecology, island biogeography, and nutrient-flux modelsProvides exercises of gradated difficulty at the end of every chapterIdeal for advanced undergraduate and graduate classrooms and for independent studyIncludes a road map for class planning and self-study Autorid: Ryan Chisholm

"What value can the study of ancient literature, history, and philosophy contribute to the modern world's ecological and economic challenges? Are older ways of thinking and living worth our time to consider, or to reconsider? Are they viable modes of engagement with the world today? Ancient peoples, despite all their pillaging and plundering, had an advantage over us: they were pre-industrialized, pre-digital, pre-capitalist, pre-reductionist, pre-postmodern, pre-posthuman. Innocent of our technology-enhanced disconnectedness from Nature, the Greeks and Romans retained an "earthiness" and proximity to the sources of their survival that many people living in developed countries no longer possess today. Classicist, farmer, and sustainability thinker and advocate M. D. Usher argues that we have much to re-learn from the ancients, and not only from their mistakes. All schools of ancient philosophy based their arguments on the premise that human behavior should align with states of affairs found in Nature, a principle epitomized by Latin authors in the phrase secundum naturam-following Nature's lead. In choosing how to live, work, and interact on an imperiled planet, it is imperative we do the same. Since our scientific understanding of Nature is much better now than it was in antiquity, our ethical responses, Usher argues, should be adjusted accordingly. Ancient ways of being in the world just might provide the counterbalance we need to find a productive alternative to unlimited technological, economic, and scientific growth. Drawing on the usual roster of classical writers as well as various other philosophers, poets, and scientists, from Henry David Thoreau and Albert Schweitzer to Walt Whitman and William Blake to more contemporary thinkers like Bruno Latour, David Graeber, and Vaclav Smil, this book shows how living a life that follows Nature's lead is possible in the twenty-first century"-- Autorid: M. D. Usher

"Because of global warming, scientists predict that the majority of the world's coral reefs may be gone by the end of the century based on rapid declines in the past century. In fact, the amount of living coral on Caribbean reefs dropped by 80% in the last three decades of the 1900s. But there's hope. Researchers studying both living and fossilized corals are bringing together their work to better understand the past and present of coral reefs and applying that understanding to help reefs become more resilient into the future. In Reefs of Time, paleontologist Lisa Gardiner introduces readers to coral reefs through the lens of the fossilized limestone structures they've left behind. Gardiner argues that understanding the life cycles of reefs that existed in "shallow deep time"--that is, the era of the youngest fossils inhabited by creatures much like those of today's world but unaffected by human contact--can help us better grasp the unique challenges facing corals in the present. As Gardiner shows, once we know what happened in the past and what's happening in the present, we can begin to solve the questions of the future: Do coral reefs have any chance of surviving climate change, ocean warming, pollution, and other problems of the Anthropocene? And if so, how can humans be part of the solution? The book begins with an introduction to fossilization and the singular way coral and other limestone-producing organisms interact with the ocean's geological cycles. After an exploration of ancient reefs and thefield of paleoecology, Gardiner shifts to a discussion of present-day reefs and the deleterious effects of ocean warming and other stressors that impact coral's ability to bounce back from disruption. She then returns to the fossil record to explore wayscoral has built up resilience in the past and discusses how scientists can use this knowledge to help coral become more resilient in the future. Throughout, Gardiner draws on her own research and experience studying living and dead corals, along with a synthesis of the latest conclusions from other scientists, to illuminate how unlocking the recent past can help us change the future"-- Provided by publisher. How fossilized reefs hold clues to the survival of corals in the AnthropoceneWith rising global temperatures, pollution, overfishing, ocean acidification, and other problems caused by humans, there’s no question that today’s coral reefs are in trouble. As predictions about the future of these ecosystems grow increasingly dire, scientists are looking in an unlikely place for new ways to save corals: the past. The reefs of yesteryear faced challenges too, from changing sea level to temperature shifts, and understanding how they survived and when they faltered can help guide our efforts to help ensure a future for reefs.Lisa Gardiner weaves together the latest cutting-edge science with stories of her expeditions to tropical locales to show how fossils and other reef remains offer tantalizing glimpses of how corals persisted through time, and how this knowledge can guide our efforts to ensure a future for these remarkable organisms. Gardiner takes readers on an excursion into “the shallow end of deep time”—when marine life was much like today’s yet unaffected by human influence—to explore the cities of fossilized limestone left behind by corals and other reef life millennia ago. The changes in reefs today are unlike anything ever seen before, but the fossil record offers hope that the coral reefs of tomorrow can weather the environmental challenges that lie ahead.A breathtaking journey of scientific discovery, Reefs of Time reveals how lessons from the past can help us to chart a path forward for coral reefs struggling for survival in an age of climate crisis and mass extinction. Autorid: Lisa S. Gardiner

A groundbreaking history of fengshui’s roles in public life and law during China’s last imperial dynastyToday the term fengshui, which literally means “wind and water,” is recognized around the world. Yet few know exactly what it means, let alone its fascinating history. In Laws of the Land, Tristan Brown tells the story of the important roles—especially legal ones—played by fengshui in Chinese society during China’s last imperial dynasty, the Manchu Qing (1644–1912).Employing archives from Mainland China and Taiwan that have only recently become available, this is the first book to document fengshui’s invocations in Chinese law during the Qing dynasty. Facing a growing population, dwindling natural resources, and an overburdened rural government, judicial administrators across China grappled with disputes and petitions about fengshui in their efforts to sustain forestry, farming, mining, and city planning. Laws of the Land offers a radically new interpretation of these legal arrangements: they worked. An intelligent, considered, and sustained engagement with fengshui on the ground helped the imperial state keep the peace and maintain its legitimacy, especially during the increasingly turbulent decades of the nineteenth century. As the century came to an end, contentious debates over industrialization swept across the bureaucracy, with fengshui invoked by officials and scholars opposed to the establishment of railways, telegraphs, and foreign-owned mines.Demonstrating that the only way to understand those debates and their profound stakes is to grasp fengshui’s longstanding roles in Chinese public life, Laws of the Land rethinks key issues in the history of Chinese law, politics, science, religion, and economics. Autorid: Tristan G. Brown

How the legacy of the Civil War—as presented by writers, poets, and artists of the time—has shaped American visions of democracyIn Haunted by the Civil War, Shirley Samuels explores the work of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and others to investigate the long cultural shadow of America’s cataclysmic sundering. Juxtaposing these texts with images—ranging from paintings by Winslow Homer to newspaper and magazine illustrations of political controversies—Samuels argues that the Civil War still haunts our attitudes toward democracy. The recent toppling of Confederate monuments, the continuing protests over racial and sexual discrimination, immigration, and Indigenous land rights: each of these forms part of the war’s legacy.Examining the fraught deliberations about an ideal American democracy in the early republic, Samuels turns to the language of sensation in the poetry of Melville, Dickinson, and Whitman alongside Lincoln’s relation to the poetic and visual culture of his time. She considers the haunted afterlives of war in the work of Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Beecher Stowe as well as in popular nineteenth-century inspirational fiction. And she investigates the literature of men at sea (and on rivers, enabling both connection and escape), as seen in Melville and Mark Twain, while examining women’s wartime work and experience, in writings by Gilman and Frances Harper.Why does the Civil War still haunt us? To find the answer, Samuels identifies not only the ghosts that cannot rest but also the cultural practices that name them. Autorid: Shirley Samuels

How a system of colonial trusteeship converted Native wealth into settler capitalFrom the earliest days of its founding, the United States set its sights on Native territory. Amid better-known “Indian wars,” the federal government quietly built an empire by treaty, offering payments to Native peoples for their land. Routinely inadequate, these payments were nonetheless pivotal because federal officials chose not to deliver them as a lump sum. Instead, the government kept the bulk of payments owed to Native nations under its own control as a trustee, and made access to future installments contingent on Native compliance. In Vested Interests, Emilie Connolly describes how a system of “fiduciary colonialism” seized a continent from its original inhabitants—and, ironically, furnished Native peoples with financial resources that sustained their nations.Connolly documents two centuries of dispossession in the guise of fiduciary benevolence. Acting as both dispossessor and trustee, the federal government invested Native wealth in state bonds that financed banks, canals, and other infrastructural projects that enabled the country to expand further westward. Meanwhile, Native peoples protected the money they did receive for future generations, investing it in their own institutions and mounting legal challenges to hold their trustees accountable. Still, federal trusteeship placed tight constraints on Native economies with the aim of containing Native power, forcing nations to endure through sheer resilience and ingenuity. By chronicling the long history of Native land dispossession through financial paternalism, Vested Interests reveals the unequal dividends of colonialism in the United States. Autorid: Emilie Connolly

Project Management: A Socio-Technical Approach is a comprehensive title that emphasizes the importance of the human dimension in project management through a holistic view by recognizing that to master project management one must not only master key tools and methods, but also how to manage people to use these techniques within the culture of their organization. Written for a wide audience, this title provides a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of project management through its universally applicable concepts, principles, and techniques. The 2024 release includes updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on project execution and features expanded examples, new student exercises and cases, and additional resources for instructors and students. This title is also well structured to meet the needs of those wishing to prepare for PMP or CAPM certification exams. Autorid: Erik Larson, Clifford Gray

It's a big question - had they found the biggest dinosaur ever? Dinosaurs and fossils are incredible, as are the palaeontologists who study them! From the incredible dig site where the first bone was uncovered, they worked to find and recover more! Read the entire story of how that was done and how one find gave them the first glimpse of dinosaur skin. Beautifully bound with stunning illustrations, this unique and collectable narrative non-fiction series will start a lifelong interest in science for curious kids. Use the QR code links in each book to take you to the Big Question Answered website for comprehensive free teacher and parents' resources and fun kids pack and more. Science has never been so much fun! Autorid: Olivia Watson

A BOOK TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY - A GIFT OF HOPE, COMFORT, POSITIVITY, OPENNESS AND LOVE FOR ANY OCCASION - INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES FROM THE TFL UNDERGOUND DUO Transport for London employees and dynamic masked duo, All on the Board (aka Jeremy and Ian), made it their mission to bring smiles to the faces of London commuters through writing creative messages, quotes and poems on the underground's service information boards. 'We were tired of looking at a board that just said "keep right" and thought can't we do something a bit more fun?'. Fast-forward 3 years, they've grown a community of 750,000+ online fans and have a plethora of celebrity supporters. Through their magical words, they've marked momentous occasions, celebrated countless artists, legends and heroes, raised awareness of mental health and hidden illnesses and sprinkled thousands of our daily journeys with positivity, humour and love. Their kind messages remind us all that we're in it together and now, with their beautiful, colourful collection of quotes, stories and drawings you can add joy to your day wherever you are and however you're feeling. CHAPTERS INCLUDE: Positively Positive, Raising Awareness, Love, Always Remembered, Random Pleasures & Simple Treasures, Mental Health, Legends, Real Life Heroes, Occasions & Celebrations, London, In It Together 'During the darkest days of lockdown your positively uplifting words never failed to put a smile on my face. Thank you for the inspiration and love that you spread. Don't ever stop lifting us with your unique brand of joy and humour.' - TESS DALY 'All On The Board just show how much we need to feel connected... you often say exactly what we need to hear at exactly the right time. Always positive, always kind. You make me smile. Sometimes you've made me cry. Keep doing what you are doing . . . we are so very grateful for you.' - DAVINA MCCALL Autorid: All on the Board

Harald Hardrada was the greatest warrior of his age. Wounded, aged 15, at Stiklestad (1030), the most savage battle ever fought on Norwegian soil, he went on to fight in Russia, Byzantium, Sicily, the Balkans, Asia Minor and Jerusalem. He returned to Norway in 1045 to contest and win the crown and was killed in the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. A man of ferocious energy, burning ambition, cunning, cruelty and vengefulness, and a man enormously attractive to women, Harald is a larger-than-life figure and one that has fascinated the poet Kevin Crossley-Holland. In this sequence of short poems, he assumes the persona of Harald during his formative years in Byzantium and writes about his engagement with warfare, leadership and love. Passionate, terse and often witty, these poems revelations rather than narratives contrast the glittering hard-edged northern world, still half in thrall to the old Norse gods, with the softer, more seductive south. Autorid: Kevin Crossley-Holland, Chris Riddell

A panoramic cultural and legal history that traces the roots of antisemitism and racism to early Christian theologySince the earliest days of Christianity, theologians expressed pervasive anxiety about Jews as equal members of society, and, with European expansion in the early modern period, that anxiety extended to people of color. This troubling legacy still haunts us today. Christian Supremacy demonstrates how theological and legal frameworks created by the church centuries ago laid the seeds of antisemitism and anti-Black racism and reveals why Christian identity lies at the heart of the world’s violent white supremacy movements.In a powerful historical narrative spanning nearly two millennia, Magda Teter describes how Christian theology of late antiquity cast Jews as “children born to slavery,” and how the supposed theological inferiority of Jews became inscribed into law, creating tangible structures that reinforced a sense of Christian domination and superiority. With the dawn of European colonialism, a distinct brand of European Christian supremacy found expression in the legally sanctioned enslavement and exploitation of people of color, later taking the form of white Christian supremacy in the New World.Drawing on a wealth of primary evidence ranging from the theological and legal to the philosophical and artistic, Christian Supremacy is a profound reckoning with history that traces the roots of the modern rejection of Jewish and Black equality to an enduring Christian heritage of exclusion, intolerance, and persecution. Autorid: Magda Teter