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Showing 161 - 180 of 19415 items
By Nigel Rodgers. 1880
An engaging and often hilarious survey of the far-from-fusty extra-curricular activities of some of philosophy's finest practitioners Philosophers Behaving Badly…
examines the lives of eight great philosophers--Rousseau, whose views on education and the social order seem curiously at odds with his own outrageous life; Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, two giants of the 19th century whose words seem ever more relevant today; and five immensely influential philosophers of the 20th century, Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Foucault.By Anton Chekhov. 1993
First performed at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1901, The Three Sisters probes the lives and dreams of Olga, Masha,…
and Irina, former Muscovites now living in a provincial town from which they long to escape. Their hopes for a life more suited to their cultivated tastes and sensibilities provide a touching counterpoint to the relentless flow of compromising events in the real world.In this powerful play, a landmark of modern drama, Chekhov masterfully interweaves character and theme in subtle ways that make the work's climax seem as inevitable as it is deeply moving. It is reprinted here from a standard text with updated transliteration of character names and additional explanatory footnotes.By Molière, Henri Van Laun. 2004
The greatest writer of French classic comedy, the 17th-century playwright Molière was one of the most brilliant satirists in the…
history of literature. His keen observations and barbed wit deflated the pretensions of society in his day and focused a brilliant light on the universal frailties of humanity.The Imaginary Invalid, one of Molière's funniest and most incisive satires, is also among the most performed worldwide and perennially studied in world literature courses. In this entertaining gem, a hypochondriac, victimized by two pompous doctors, tests his daughter's loyalty and discovers the greed and contempt of his scheming wife.11am, 11.11.1918: the war is finally over. After four long years Britain welcomed her heroes home. Wives and mothers were…
reunited with loved ones they'd feared they'd never see again. Fathers met sons and daughters born during the war years for the very first time. It was a time of great joy - but it was also a time of enormous change. The soldiers and nurses who survived life at the Front faced the reality of rebuilding their lives in a society that had changed beyond recognition. How did the veterans readjust to civilian life? How did they cope with their war wounds, work and memories of lost comrades? And what of the people they returned to - the independent young women who were asked to give up the work they had been enjoying, the wives who had to readjust to life with men who seemed like strangers?By David Hunter. 2015
A major literary figure in pre-war Paris, Guillaume Apollinaire volunteered for war in 1914, trained as an artilleryman and was…
posted in April 1915 to the Champagne front in northern France, participating in the bloody but little-known offensive that September and then moving into the front line as an infantry officer, before being wounded in March 1916 and invalided out of active service. Back in Paris, Apollinaire plunged back into the activities of the capital's artistic avant-garde, meanwhile publishing poetry, prose and plays that were deeply influenced by his involvement in the conflict. He died on 9 November 1918, two days before the Armistice, a victim of the influenza pandemic, but with a literary reputation secured, as well as a certain fame for coining the term 'Surrealism'. This book draws heavily on Apollinaire's writings to tell the story of his war years, within the wider context of the French experience of the Great War. In this period, Apollinaire also wrote hundreds of letters, the bulk of them to two women: Louise de Coligny, a flighty socialite of aristocratic origin, and Madeleine Pagès, a young schoolteacher. In these letters he poured out his passionate feelings for both in often highly erotic poetry and prose, as well as giving detailed descriptions of his life as a front-line soldier.By Pedro Calderón de la Barca. 2002
Considered one of the outstanding Spanish dramas of all time, this 17th-century allegory explores the mysteries of human destiny, the…
illusory nature of existence, and the struggle between predestination and free will. On the basic plot structure of king's suspicions of his son's role in an impending revolution, the playwright builds a dramatic edifice of theatricality, rich in symbolism and metaphor, expressed in magnificent poetry. This edition presents an excellent new English translation, with an informative introduction and footnotes.By Torey Hayden. 1983
When Torey Hayden first met fifteen-year-old Kevin, he was barricaded under a table. Desperately afraid of the world around him,…
he hadn’t spoken a word in eight years. He was considered hopeless, incurable, but Hayden refused to believe it. With unwavering devotion and gentle, patient love, she set out to free him—and slowly uncovered a shocking, violent history and a terrible secret that an unfeeling bureaucracy had simply filed away and forgotten. But she never gave up on this tragic “lost case.” For a trapped and frightened boy desperately needed her help—and she knew in her heart she could not rest easy until she had rescued him from the darkness.Third play of a trilogy (the other two are lost) about the doomed family of Laius and Oedipus and his…
sons. After the city of Thebes has banished Oedipus, the former ruler's sons vie for the crown. The victor, Eteocles, expels his brother, Polyneices, who then recruits 7 champions to lead an assault on Thebes, with a tragic results.By William Shakespeare. 2003
A highly political play, Coriolanus concerns a military hero of ancient Rome who attempts to shift from his career as…
a general to become a candidate for public office -- a disastrous move that leads to his collaborating with the enemy and heading an attack on Rome. Despite his battlefield confidence and accomplishments, Coriolanus proves psychologically ill-suited as a candidate for the office of consul and makes an easy scapegoat for the restless citizenry and his political opponents. The last of Shakespeare's tragedies, Coriolanus was written in approximately 1608 and derived from Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. A timeless tale of pride, revenge, and political chicanery, it remains ever-relevant for modern readers and audiences.By William Congreve. 1993
One of the greatest of all Restoration comedies, this knowing comedy of manners depicts the scheming of a nest of…
shallow, deceitful aristocrats to prevent two lovers from marrying. The play abounds with felicitous phrasing, delicious verbal battles of the sexes and a depth of feeling and sensitivity.By John Boydell, Josiah Boydell. 2004
This impressive collection of engravings illustrating the dramatic works of Shakespeare takes a new look at the long-neglected area of…
romantic early-19th-century art. Nearly 100 illustrations depict dramatic scenes from AMidsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Measure for Measure, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear, and 26 other plays. A monumental effort begun in 1787, the engravings speak as passionately to the viewer today as they did more than 200 years ago.By Torey Hayden. 2006
Jadie never spoke. She never laughed, or cried, or uttered any sound. Despite efforts to reach her, Jadie remained locked…
in her own troubled world . . . until one remarkable teacher persuaded her to break her self-imposed silence.Nothing in all of Torey Hayden’s experience could have prepared her for the shock of what Jadie told her—a story too horrendous for Torey’s professional colleagues to acknowledge. Yet a little girl was living in a nightmare, and Torey responded in the only way she knew how—with courage, compassion, and dedication—demonstrating once again the tremendous power of love and the resilience of the human spirit.By Dwayne Ballen. 2013
An award-winning broadcast journalist shares his poignant story about his family's journey with autism. About one child out of 110…
will be diagnosed with autism. When Dwayne Ballen's son Julian was diagnosed at age four, Ballen started a blog to record his thoughts and share his family's experiences. Julian has taught his parents much about life and the real meaning of success. He has led them to realize that a smile and a warm hug are two of the most rewarding gifts a parent can ever receive. The Ballens' journey is inspirational and enlightening. Journey with Julian will strike a chord with parents who are just receiving the diagnosis of autism for their child, as well as those further down the path. Journey with Julian shows that in the end, it's family and fierce determination that help us all to get the most out of life.By Jon E. Lewis. 2003
The spectre of the Great War still haunts us. No other conflict so dramatically illustrates the waste of life, and…
the slaughter of innocents, as that of 1914-18. And none has so dramatically shaped the modern world: the Russian Revolution, the rise of Hitler, the break-up of Empire, the supremacy of America and World War II all stem from the four years of the 'war to end all wars'. Here is the eye-witness chronicle of that war, from the trenches of Flanders to the staff rooms of the Imperial Germany Army, from T. E. Lawrence in the desert to the 'Red Baron' in the air, from Land Girls in England to German U-boat crews in the Atlantic, it leaves nothing out. And if all the horror of the war fought by the Tommies in the trenches is captured, so too are the machinations of the 'top brass' and politicians.By Jo Brand. 2009
Jo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her…
own unique voice she tells her story for the first time. What possessed her to become a professional comedian in the cut-throat world of stand-up comedy after ten years as a psychiatric nurse? How did she deal with late night drunken audiences? Raised in middle class comfort, she left home in her teens to live with someone entirely inappropriate. Her parents were aghast at her behaviour and attempted to rein in her excesses, finally giving up when she demonstrated that she was not headed for the life of a nun. From her early years growing up in a small south coast town with two brothers who toughened her up, to emerging on stage as 'The Sea Monster', Jo Brand tells it like it is with wit, candour and a wonderful sense that life can be ridiculous but there's always a funny side.Jo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her own unique voice she tells her story for the first time.By Ben Hatch. 2013
From the bestselling author of ARE WE NEARLY THERE YET? (Radio 2 Book of the Year & voted Amazon Customers'…
Fave Kindle Read 2011) comes a new hilarious and touching story of travel chaos.Chosen as one of Amazon's Best Kindle Books of 2013 Ben Hatch is on the road again. Commissioned to write a guidebook about France (despite not speaking any French) he sets off with visions of relaxing chateaux and refined dining. Ten thousand miles later his family's been attacked by a donkey, had a run-in with a death-cult and, after a near drowning and a calamitous wedding experience involving a British spy, his own marriage is in jeopardy. A combination of obsessions about mosquitoes, French gravel and vegetable theme parks mean it's a bumpy ride as Ben takes a stand against tyrannical French pool attendants, finds himself running with the bulls in Pamplona and almost starring in a snuff movie after a near fatal decision to climb into a millionaire's Chevrolet Blazer.Funny and poignant, Road to Rouen asks important questions about life, marriage and whether it's ever acceptable to tape baguette to your children's legs to smuggle lunch into Disneyland Paris.By Anonymous. 2013
In the vein of Hotel Babylon and Confessions of a GP, The Secret Player will fascinate footballs fans with its…
wealth of insider knowledge and willingness to talk, albeit anonymously, about the inner workings of the game. Based on the hugely popular 'The Player' columns in FourFourTwo magazine, the book gives a warts-and-all insight into the daily life of professional footballers. Month by month, it chronicles the oscillating rhythms of the season, from the trudge of pre-season to the 'squeaky-bum time' of promotion and relegation. The player himself has played at all levels of English football - from Premier League to a season of non-League - and represented England.By Friedrich Perzynski, Stanley Appelbaum. 2005
Combining elements of dance, drama, music and poetry, the performances of Japanese No theater are a highly stylized form of…
entertainment. Accompanying the sumptuous costumes worn during performances are elaborately carved No and Kyogen wooden masks--major works of art in their own right. This book, based on a classic two-volume German study, presents a wealth of illustrations and information relating to these magnificent theatrical devices.A new, informative introduction and extensive captions derived from the original text and newly translated, accompany the heart of the book--more than 120 full-page plates depicting museum-quality masks worn by actors playing gods, warriors, demons, and monsters, beautiful women, feudal lords, mad characters, and supernatural beings. All 303 illustrations from the original two-volume work are included.A unique introduction to classic Japanese theater for Western theatergoers, this volume will also serve as an excellent reference for students, scholars, and enthusiasts of No drama.By Laura Thompson. 2008
The author of the Somerset Maugham award-winning The Dogs: A Personal History of Greyhound Racing, and the brilliant biography Life…
In A Cold Climate: Nancy Mitford, Laura Thompson turns her highly acclaimed biographical skills to arguably the greatest crime writer in the world, Agatha Christie. 'Laura Thompson's outstanding biography . . . is a pretty much perfect capturing of a life' Kate Mosse, Book of the Year 2007It has been 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote her first novel and created the formidable Hercule Poirot. In this biography, Laura Thompson describes the Edwardian world in which she grew up, explores the relationships she had, including those with her two husbands and daughter, and investigates the mysteries still surrounding Christie's life - including her disappearance in 1926. Agatha Christie is a mystery and writing about her is a detection job in itself. But, with access to all of Christie's letters, papers and writing notebooks, as well as interviews with her grandson, daughter, son-in-law and their living relations, Thompson is able to unravel not only the detailed workings of Christie's detective fiction, but the truth behind her private life as well.Praise for Laura Thompson'Laura Thompson has certainly written the last word on Agatha Christie. Her book is a superb piece of biography' Literary Review'Affectionate, admiring, perceptive and absolutely convincing' Sunday Telegraph'This splendid account of [Christie's] life and work is unlikely to be bettered' Evening Standard'A triumphant success' Daily Mail'This book is a gem: fresh, intelligent and assured' Sunday Times'Laura Thompson is a fine writer . . . and one can't help admire the way she breathes new life into an intriguing tale' London Review of Books'Laura Thompson delivers the goods: a compelling narrative' The TimesBy Kate Humble. 2013
In 2007, after twenty years of living in London, Kate Humble and her husband Ludo decided it was time to…
leave city life behind them. Three years later, now the owner of a Welsh smallholding, Kate hears that a nearby farm is to be broken up and sold off. Another farm lost; another opportunity for a young farmless farmer gone. Desperate to stop the sale, Kate contacts the council with an alternative plan - to keep the farm working and to run a rural skills and animal husbandry school alongside it. Against all odds, she succeeds.Here, in Humble By Nature, Kate shares with us a highly personal account of her journey from London town house to Welsh farm. Along the way we meet Bertie and Lawrence the donkeys, Myfanwy and Blackberry the pigs and goats Biscuit and Honey, not forgetting a dog called Badger and his unladylike sidekick Bella. And we are introduced to the tenant farmers Tim and Sarah, the locals who helped and some who didn't, and a whole host of newborn lambs. Full of the warmth and passion for the natural world that makes Kate such a sought after presenter, Humble By Nature is the story of two people prepared to follow their hearts and save a small part of Britain's farming heritage, whatever the consequences.