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Showing 1 - 20 of 21707 items
By Null Nicola Laneri. 2024
Human belief systems and practices can be traced to ca. 10,000 BCE in the Ancient Near East, where the earliest…
evidence of ritual structures and objects can be found. Religious architecture, the relics of human skeletons, animal symbolism, statues, and icons all contributed to a complex network into which the spiritual essence of the divine was materially present. In this book, Nicola Laneri traces the transformation of the belief systems that shaped life in ancient Near Eastern communities, from prehistoric times until the advent of religious monotheism in the Levant during the first millennium BCE. Considering a range of evidence, from stone ceremonial enclosures, such as as Göbleki Tepe, to the construction of the first temples and icons of Mesopotamian polytheistic beliefs, to the Temple of Jerusalem, the iconic center of Israelite monotheism, Laneri offers new insights into the symbolic value embodied in the religious materiality produced in the ancient Near East.The trailblazing book that influenced a generation of writers, and proves that mature reflection needn&’t be lacking in attitude.In the…
beginning when everything was very sexual we talked about our fantasies. She thought about having a guy for some of it. She thought about having a gun. I had gone through a lot to get away from guys so I admit that the thought of going back to them, even for a little adventure, was surprising and disconcerting …Ann Rower&’s first book, If You&’re a Girl, published by Semiotext(e)&’s Native Agents series in 1991 in tandem with Cookie Mueller&’s Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, cemented her reputation as the Eve Babitz of lower Manhattan.Rower was fifty-three years old at the time. Her stories—urtexts of female autofiction—had long been circulating within the poetry and postpunk music scenes. They were unlike anyone else&’s: disarming, embarrassing, psuedoconfessional tales of everyday life dizzily told and laced with dry humor. In If You&’re a Girl, she recounts her adventures as Timothy Leary&’s babysitter, her artistic romance with actor Ron Vawter, and her attempts to evade a schizophrenic stalker.Rower went on to publish two novels: Armed Response (1995) and Lee & Elaine (2002). After the 2002 suicide of her partner, the writer Heather Lewis, Rower stopped writing for almost two decades. And then she picked up where If You&’re a Girl left off. No longer a girl, she produced dozens of stories from her life in New York as an octogenarian.This new, expanded edition includes most of the original book, together with selections from both her novels and her recent writings. If You&’re a Girl is a trailblazing book that manifests Rower&’s influence on a generation of writers, and proves that mature reflection needn&’t be lacking in attitude.By Dennis Gaffin. 2024
An intimate and personal account of the profound roles birds play in the lives of some Indigenous peopleFor many hours…
over a period of years, white anthropologist Dennis Gaffin and two Indigenous friends, Michael Bastine and John Volpe, recorded their conversations about a shared passion: the birds of upstate New York and southern Ontario. In these lively, informal talks, Bastine (a healer and naturalist of Algonquin descent) and Volpe (a naturalist and animal rehabilitator of Ojibwe and Métis descent) shared their experiences of, and beliefs about, birds, describing the profound spiritual, psychological, and social roles of birds in the lives of some Indigenous people. Birds through Indigenous Eyes presents highlights of these conversations, placing them in context and showing how Native understandings of birds contrast with conventional Western views.Bastine and Volpe bring to life Algonquin, Ojibwe, and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) beliefs about birds. They reveal how specific birds and bird species are seamlessly integrated into spirituality and everyday thought and action, how birds bring important messages to individual people, how a bird species can become associated with a person, and how birds provide warnings about our endangered environment. Over the course of the book, birds such as the house sparrow, Eastern phoebe, Northern flicker, belted kingfisher, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, and black-capped chickadee are shown in a new light—as spiritual and practical helpers that can teach humans how to live well.An original work of ethno-ornithology that offers a rare close-up look at some Native views on birds, Birds through Indigenous Eyes opens rich new perspectives on the deep connections between birds and humans.By Jamal Mabrouki, Mourade Azrour. 2024
Resource depletion and ecological risks are more than ever at the heart of societal and economic debates. In the 1970s,…
the developed countries saw the Fordist growth regime crumble in parallel with the growing awareness of the ecological issue. Since the first industrial revolutions, technological dynamics have been the cause of many environmental problems, and there is a consensus on the diagnosis. Integrated technologies reduce resource use and/or pollution at source by using cleaner production methods. This generally leads to a reduction in the by-products, energy inputs and resources used by companies to produce goods. Integrated production technologies reduce negative environmental impacts at source by substituting or modifying cleaner technologies. Examples of integrated, or cleaner, production technologies are the recirculation of materials, the use of environmentally friendly materials (such as the substitution of water for organic solvents), etc. However, the implementation of integrated production technologies is often hampered by obstacles related to cost, coordination and skill inertia problems and to the productive organisation of companies. In addition to the high investment costs of new integrated technologies, additional barriers may emerge depending on the nature of the environmental problem and the type of environmental regulation in question.By Jeevesh Gupta, Chittranjan Dubey, Anandajit Goswami. 2024
An Engaging Compilation of Perspectives on Climate Activism The impassioned essays, noteworthy profiles and first-person narratives in this anthology champion…
grassroots and global environmental movements that have persuaded policymakers and mobilized communities to take note of the worsening state of the natural order. From the Global South to the Global North, change advocates and those experiencing the thick of the emergency revisit the tipping points in their activism journey, lay out harsh truths about the extent of damage caused and offer scalable solutions to combat the mounting crisis. Outlining their rage, despair, fears and hope for the future, the campaigners underscore that there may be reasons to be optimistic despite the dreary reality we find ourselves in. While calling for collective action, these wide-ranging, inspiring and urgent stories reflect a diverse landscape of climate activism and are enough evidence that a sea change is possible.By David Gibbins. 2024
The Viking warship of King Cnut the Great. Henry VIII's the Mary Rose. Captain John Franklin's doomed HMS Terror. The…
SS Gairsoppa, destroyed by a Nazi U-boat in the Atlantic during World War II. Since we first set sail on the open sea, ships and their wrecks have been an inevitable part of human history. Archaeologists have made spectacular discoveries excavating these sunken ships, their protective underwater cocoon keeping evidence of past civilizations preserved. World renowned maritime archeologist David Gibbins ties together the stories of some of the most significant shipwrecks in time to form a single overarching narrative of world history. A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks is not just the story of those ships, the people who sailed on them, and the cargo and treasure they carried, but also the story of the spread of people, religion, and ideas around the world; it is a story of colonialism, migration, and the indominable human spirit that continues today. Drawing on decades of experience, Gibbins reveals the riches beneath the waves and shows us how the treasures found there can be a porthole to the past that tell a new story about the world and its underwater secretsBy Esi Edugyan. 2023
Que se passe-t-il lorsque nous décidons d'accorder une attention centrale aux hommes et aux femmes jusqu'alors relégués dans les marges…
de nos récits et de nos représentations? À mi-chemin entre l'essai littéraire, le récit de vie et la chronique historique, Dans l'ombre du soleil propose une méditation nuancée et perspicace sur l'identité, l'art et l'appartenance des personnes noiresBy John Webb, Susan White, Garry K. Smith. 2023
This book, part of the series Cave and Karst Systems of the World, begins with a review of the interaction…
between people and caves in Australia (including conservation), followed by descriptions of the spectacular cave diving sites, before comprehensively covering all the major carbonate and noncarbonate karst areas, subdivided by rock type and region, and including the origin of the caves. This is followed by broad overviews of cave minerals and speleothems, cave biology and cave fossils. Each section was written by one or more specialists in the topic and is illustrated by clear diagrams and superb colour photos. The book emphasises the unique aspects of the Australian karst, including the variability in the age of the caves (very old to very young) and the impact of isolation on the stygofauna, as well as the vertebrate fossils preserved in the caves. Written in an easy-to-read style, the book is a primary reference guide to Australian karst and represents a valuable asset for anyone interested in the topic, not only cavers and academics.By Gerardo Castillo Guzmán, Matthew Himley, David Brereton. 2024
This volume focuses on how, why, under what conditions, and with what effects people move across space in relation to…
mining, asking how a focus on spatial mobility can aid scholars and policymakers in understanding the complex relation between mining and social change. This collection centers the concept of mobility to address the diversity of mining-related population movements as well as the agency of people engaged in these movements. This volume opens by introducing both the historical context and conceptual tools for analyzing the mining-mobility nexus, followed by case study chapters focusing on three regions with significant histories of mineral extraction and where mining currently plays an important role in socio-economic life: the Andes, Central and West Africa, and Melanesia. Written by authors with expertise in diverse fields, including anthropology, development studies, geography, and history, case study chapters address areas of both large- and smallscale mining. They explore the historical-geographical factors shaping mining-related mobilities, the meanings people attach to these movements, and the relations between people’s mobility practices and the flows of other things put in motion by mining, including capital, ideas, technologies, and toxic contamination. The result is an important volume that provides fresh insights into the social geographies and spatial politics of extraction. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of mining and the extractive industries, spatial politics and geography, mobility and migration, development, and the social and environmental dimensions of natural resources more generally.By Sabine Franke. 2016
Learn about the ancient civilizations of Iraq and Syria, through the stories they told. This book gathers the best…
stories of ancient Near Eastern literature surrounding the Mesopotamian gods, men, and kings. It takes the reader on a journey back to the birth of literature in Mesopotamia—which at the same time seems so distant yet so familiar. Fairy tales, myths, and epics of this region are still able to entertain readers today—and allow us to delve into the fascinating life of this ancient civilization. This book includes fables such as that of the tooth worm, which causes tooth pain, as well as the great myth of Innanas, which describes the goddess Ishtar&’s transition to the underworld. There are also stories of daily life, such as that of a student, and the Sumerian incantations against a crying baby.By Colin Butfield, Jonnie Hughes. 2021
The Earthshot concept is simple: Urgency + Optimism = Action. We have ten years to turn the tide on the…
environmental crisis, but we need the world's best solutions and one shared goal - to save our planet.It's not too late, but we need collective action now. The Earthshots are unifying, ambitious goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for all of us, for the rest of life on Earth, and for generations to come.They are to:· Protect and Restore Nature· Clean our Air· Revive our Oceans· Build a Waste-Free World· Fix our ClimateEARTHSHOT: HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET is the first definitive book about how these goals can tackle the environmental crisis, from rainforests to coral reefs, via wilderness, cities and in our own homes. It is a critical contribution to the most important story of the decade.By Betty Pfeiffer. 2024
When do you know someone best? When you read their biography or when you have a conversation with them? Of…
course, it&’s when you have a one-on-one visit. Go down in a submersible, the HOV (Human Occupied Vehicle) Alvin, to make the journey to their home. You&’ll meet the weird, the cute, the flashy, and the fierce creatures of the deep.In this book, you won&’t just read a bunch of facts about these remarkable animals—you can learn to know them personally. They&’ll talk to you about themselves, their relatives, and their enemies. As a surprise bonus, you will find out about the many ways your new friends are helping us solve some of our medical problems.Suppose you are interested in learning more about what happens in the ocean. In that case, two people (real people) will tell you what they were like at your age and what motivated them to make the ocean, which covers about 70 percent of the earth&’s surface, their life&’s work.“I LOVE this book, as a reader, and I always enjoy teaching it. In the midst of current conversations and…
conflicts (Black Lives Matter and the responses to it, for example), its importance as a truly ‘American’ novel only grows.” —Anita Guynn, University of North Carolina at Pembroke This Norton Critical Edition includes: The American first edition text, plus the reinstated “raft passage” from Life on the Mississippi (1883), complete with all original illustrations by Edward Windsor Kemble and, for the raft passage, John Harley. Editorial matter by Thomas Cooley. A rich selection of contextual and source documents centered on the novel’s historical background, language, composition, and reception, four of them new to the Fourth Edition. Seventeen carefully chosen critical assessments of Mark Twain’s greatest work, ten of them new to the Fourth Edition. A chronology and a selected bibliography. About the Series Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts, and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need. “The materials and notations were excellent and useful. They often lead the students to further inquiry. It is a valuable text.” —Michael W. Carter, University of Kentucky “I have generally found the editorial annotations excellent. Overall I still find this the best critical edition of Huck Finn for my students.” —Shelly Jarenski, University of Michigan–DearbornBy Dave Williams. 2023
Really “high” tech to inspire us for sustainable solutions on Earth.Who could imagine an idea born on a space station…
would help sustain our planet? Astronauts, living on the International Space Station, have to protect their resources because their lives depend on it. They learn to conserve water, air, food, energy, and waste.These efforts have in turn lead to amazing and innovative ideas for air quality, food production, and water purification here on Earth.With vivid, energetic illustrations, photographs, and Dr. Dave’s experiments on key topics, readers learn about technological innovations such as waterless toilets and the world’s tallest air purification tower.By Rebecca Solnit, Robert Atwan. 2019
A collection of the year&’s best essays selected by Robert Atwan and guest editor Rebecca Solnit. &“Essays are restless literature,…
trying to find out how things fit together, how we can think about two things at once, how the personal and the public can inform each other, how two overtly dissimilar things share a secret kinship,&” contends Rebecca Solnit in her introduction. From lost languages and extinct species to life-affirming cosmologies and literary myths that offer cold comfort, the personal and the public collide in The Best American Essays 2019. This searching, necessary collection grapples with what has preoccupied us in the past year—sexual politics, race, violence, invasive technologies—and yet, in reading for the book, Solnit also found &“how discovery can be a deep pleasure.&” The Best American Essays 2019 includes Michelle Alexander, Jabari Asim, Alexander Chee, Masha Gessen, Jean Guerrero, Elizabeth Kolbert, Terese Marie Mailhot, Jia Tolentino, and others.By Pete Dunne, Kevin T. Karlson. 2021
Focusing on families and their shared traits makes bird identification easier than ever.This guide takes readers beyond merely identifying birds…
to understanding them. Many birders can tell the difference between a White-eyed and Bell&’s Vireo but cannot begin to describe a vireo and what distinguishes members of this family from warblers or flycatchers. The &“species by species&” approach makes it difficult to appreciate birds for what they are: members of well-organized groupings united by common traits. Putting the focus on families, and their shared characteristics, makes bird identification easier and more meaningful. More than 150 color photos illustrate the 81 bird families of the United States and Canada.By James Thurber. 1945
"An authentic American genius. . . . Mr. Thurber belongs in the great lines of American humorists that includes Mark…
Twain and Ring Lardner." —Philadelphia InquirerJames Thurber’s unique ability to convey the vagaries of life in a funny, witty, and often satirical way earned him accolades as one of the finest humorists of the twentieth century. A bestseller upon its initial publication in 1945, The Thurber Carnival captures the depth of his talent and the breadth of his wit. The stories compiled here, almost all of which first appeared in The New Yorker, are from his uproarious and candid collection My World and Welcome to It—including the American classic "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"—as well as from The Owl in the Attic, The Seal in the Bathroom, Men, Women and Dogs. Thurber’s take on life, society, and human nature is timeless and will continue to delight readers even as they recognize a bit of themselves in his brilliant sketches.By Yevgeny Yevtushenko. 1962
This volume contains a selection of early works by Yevgeny Alexandrovich Yevtushenko who blazed a trail for a generation of…
Soviet poets with a confident poetic voice that moves effortlessly between social and personal themes. ‘Zima Junction’ vividly describes his idyllic childhood in Siberia and his impressions of home after a long absence in Moscow. Private moments are captured in ‘Waking’, on the joys of discovering the unexpected in a lover, and ‘Birthday’, on a mother’s concern for her son, while ‘Encounter’ depicts an unexpected meeting with Hemingway in Copenhagen. ‘The Companion’ and ‘Party Card’ show war from a child’s eye, whether playing while oblivious to German bombs falling nearby or discovering a fatally wounded soldier in the forest, while Yevtushenko’s famous poem, ‘Babiy Yar’, is an angry exposé of the Nazi massacre of the Jews of Kiev.By Matt Baker. 2021
Escape into nature with Matt Baker's fascinating journey through the natural year and family life on the farm'A delight' Countryfile…
Magazine_______Matt Baker finds his calm on the farm.Surrounded by nature with his family, dogs, array of sheep, Mediterranean miniature donkeys and a whole host of wildlife in the farm's ancient woodland, Matt shows us how the power and beauty of the countryside can bring joy to us all.Following the ever-changing seasons of the year, we see woodland animals emerge after a long winter of hibernation and lambs begin to gambol in April. We hear the dawn chorus in the height of summer and see the preparations unfold for the harsh and wild winter months.Peppered with hand drawn sketches, unforgettable moments from Matt's TV career and stories of a landscape you'll fall in love with - from its sun-soaked pastures to 6ft snow drifts - Matt reveals how the outdoors has made him who he is today.By Colin Elford. 2010
Colin Elford's A Year in the Woods is an enthralling journey into the heart of the English countryside - with…
a preamble by Craig Taylor.Colin Elford spends his days alone - alone but for the deer, the squirrels, the rabbits, the birds, and the many other creatures inhabiting the woods.From the crisp cold of January, through the promise of spring and the heat of summer, and then into damp autumn and the chill winds of winter, we accompany the forest-ranger as he goes about his work - stalking in the early morning darkness, putting an injured fallow buck out of its misery, watching stoats kill a hare, observing owls, and simply being a part of the outdoors.Colin Elford immerses himself in the richly diverse and unique landscapes of Britain, existing in rhythm with natural environments. For fans of Robert Macfarlane's Landmarks, Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk orJames Rebanks' A Shepherd's Life, Colin's rare and uplifiting journey will unveil the true nature and beauty of Britain's countryside.'This is nature for real . . . Elford describes woodland wonders in short paragraphs of luminous intensity' Daily Mail'A poetic insight in the world of hidden Nature' Countryman'Stalking sharpens the senses and there is an almost hallucinatory clarity to Elford's writing' Observer'Refreshingly unsentimental. Contains some wonderful descriptions and sentences which are so profound they demand a second reading' Sunday ExpressColin Elford is a forest ranger on the Dorset/Wiltshire border. Craig Taylor is the author of Return to Akenfield and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain and the editor of the magazine Five Dials.