Ancient peoples regarded names as indicative of character and destiny. The Jews were no exception. All Jews descended from Jacob, who was given the name Israel. The Bible seemed to explain this name as having to do with struggle. But generations following the Bible found in Isra…
The Norwegian language has undergone considerable change in the last 180 years, and in this book Gjert Kristoffersen considers the abundant evidence in order to provide us with an original analysis of the ways in which the sounds and meanings of competing languages may change an…
The biological world operates on a multitude of scales - from molecules to cells to tissues to organisms to ecosystems. Throughout all these levels runs a common thread: the communication and onward passage of information - from cell to cell, from organism to organism and, ultim…
Volume III of "The Oxford History of the British Empire" covers the long 19th century, from the achievement of American independence in the 1780s to the eve of world war in 1914. This was the period of Britain's greatest expansion as both empire-builder and dominant world power.…
Emily Bronte's poetry is more often celebrated than read. This book seeks to reinstate her poems at the heart of Victorian writing while underlining their enduring relevance for readers today. For admirers of Wuthering Heights, Last Things will bring the concerns and methods of …
To what extent should we use technological advances to try to make better human beings? Leading philosophers debate the possibility of enhancing human cognition, mood, personality, and physical performance, and controlling aging. Would this take us beyond the bounds of human nat…
Assimilation was an ideology central to European expansion and colonisation, an ideology which legitimised colonisation for centuries. Assimilation and Empire shows that the aspiration for assimilation was not only driven by materialistic reasons, but was also motivated by ideas…
This book examines how British and American governments grappled with the question of intervention or non-intervention in a pariah regime - Francoist Spain between 1945 and 1955. Jill Edwards examines the clash between the emerging dual system of the United Nations (internationa…
Annotation
The Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be the word of God, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad 1400 years ago. It is the supreme authority in Islam and the living source of all Islamic teaching. Recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, it has nevertheless remained…
Broadcasting was born just as the British empire reached its greatest territorial extent, and matured while that empire began to unravel. Radio and television offered contemporaries the beguiling prospect that new technologies of mass communication might compensate for British i…
Definitive, concise, and very interesting ... From William Shakespeare to Winston Churchill, the Very Interesting People series provides authoritative bite-sized biographies of Britain's most fascinating historical figures - people whose influence and importance have stood the t…
The history of northern Renaissance art, from the late 14th to the early 16th century, drawing on a rich range of sources to show how northern European art dominated the visual culture of Europe in this formative period - ;This book offers a wide-ranging introduction to the way …
The history of northern Renaissance art, from the late 14th to the early 16th century, drawing on a rich range of sources to show how northern European art dominated the visual culture of Europe in this formative period - ;This book offers a wide-ranging introduction to the way …
The first critical assessment of all the inscriptions discovered at the Memnon colossus considered in their social, cultural, and historical context.
Book Two of Rumi's Masnavi is concerned with the challenges facing the follower of Sufi enlightenment. It interweaves stories and homilies in order to instruct followers of Rumi, the great thirteenth-century Muslim mystic. Jawid Mojaddedi's sparkling new verse translation follow…
Book 10 of the Laws sets out Plato's last thoughts on the gods, piety, and religion. Robert Mayhew presents a new English translation of this important text with a detailed commentary that highlights its philosophical, political, and religious significance. - ;The Laws is Plato'…
Quantification is a topic which brings together linguistics, logic, and philosophy. Quantifiers are the essential tools with which, in language or logic, we refer to quantity of things or amount of stuff. In English they include such expressions as no, some, all, both, many. Pet…
This book is the most up to date and thorough account of the natural history of the plants that comprise the most important food crop on Earth, the grasses and grasslands. - ;Grasslands, in particular managed pastures and rangelands, are widespread, covering approximately 40% (5…
