Pointless conversations: a selection of daft, ridiculous and utterly pointless meanderings from the mind of Scott Tierney. If you've ever wanted to know the answers to why Superman is a coward, why Spiderman should technically be deformed, and if Superdog caused the death of Krypton, then these bite-sized comics will reveal all. The discussions may be insane, and most of what is said is rambling, but despite this, you may find yourself agreeing with most of what is said. It's a fair point: where does Spiderman store all that web?

L'art pour tous was written in the year 1862 by Stéphane Mallarmé. This book is one of the most popular novels of Stéphane Mallarmé, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

Are you the world's biggest McFly Fan? Do you know everything there is to know about Dougie, Harry, Tom and Danny? Then this is the book for you! In this easy-to-digest eBook are 101 facts about your favourite band - do you know all of them?Test yourself and your friends with these handily-packaged facts easily organised into categories for maximum enjoyment. Sections include their music, the individual members of the band, and some crazy facts about their lives! Show everyone that you are the master of McFly mania!

Kijárat az Adriára cím? nagysiker? munkája után Lovas Ildikó újabb regénye a mai divatos n?irodalommal száll szembe, a test, az érzékiség nyelvét nem radikalizálja tovább, hanem ?visszavesz” bel?le, mivel rendkívüli tudatossággal újra és újra az ártatlanság nyelvén akar szólni. A Spanyol menyasszony az erotikus krimi és a klasszikus lányregény mesteri ?tv?zete. A regény két síkon játszódik, az egyik az én-elbeszél? kiskamaszkoráig vezet vissza, míg a másik a neves orvos-író Csáth Géza feleségének, Jónás Olgának az utolsó napját beszéli el, abból próbálja megfejteni az író és felesége kegyetlenül túlf?t?tt, és tragédiába torkolló kapcsolatát.

Apokrif evangélium vagy egyszer? imak?nyv? Hamisítvány vagy hiteles t?rténeti emlék? Elfeledett írás vagy szuperbiztos kód, esetleg mesterséges nyelv? Magyar, román, szanszkrit, latin, netalán t?r?k? A Rohonci kódex hírnevét kül?n?s kett?sség jellemzi: helyet kapott a világt?rténelem megfejtetlen írásainak illusztris társaságában, mik?zben a legutóbbi id?kig komoly kísérlet nem t?rtént rejtélyes jeleinek elolvasására. L?NG BENEDEK k?nyve egy izgalmas nyomozás t?rténete, amelyet a szerz? e Budapesten ?rz?tt, titokzatos és gazdagon illusztrált kódex megfejtése érdekében folytatott. A fiatal tudományt?rténész minden részletre kiterjed?, alapos vizsgálata során az olvasó beavatást nyerhet a máig megfejtetlen, rejtélyes k?nyvek világába, a titkosírások és a kódok t?rténetébe, valamint a rejtjelfejtés hagyományos és modern módszereibe is. Láng Benedek 1974-ben született Budapesten. T?rténészként végzett az ELTE b?lcsészkarán, jelenleg a Budapesti M?szaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetemen oktat humán és társadalomtudományi tárgyakat. Kutatóként az elfogadott és elutasított tudomány határterületei érdeklik mind t?rténeti, mind elméleti szempontból. Ez utóbbi kérdésk?rr?l t?bb k?nyve is megjelent. Budapesten él, n?s, két gyermek apja.

Meddig él velünk a kommunista diktatúra emléke? ?s mit kezdjünk vele, ha már nem tudjuk elfelejteni? – így fogalmazhatók meg r?viden Kukorelly Endre Rom cím? k?nyvének alapkérdései. Pontosabb volna egyes szám els? személyben kérdezni, hiszen a k?nyv mindvégig így és innen beszél k?z?s t?rténetünkr?l: már ezzel elhárítva a hamis k?z?sségiség mítoszait és nyomasztó beszédmódjait. Ironikusan, ?nironikusan rákérdez arra, amit ma a térség legszívesebben elfelejtene, illetve amir?l kínzóan ostoba ?nigazoló t?rténeteket gyárt. Kukorelly Endre kikezdi ezt a fárasztó, ?nigazoló retorikát, ám a k?nyv beszél?je nem áltatja az olvasót, hogy ? kívülálló lenne, aki már akkor is átlátott a szitán. Nem, csak éppen meg?rizte ízlését és humorát, ami talán elég ahhoz, hogy hitelesen beszélhessen az ízléstelenség és kedélytelenség világáról. Ami nem csak a múlt.?

Mindannyian tudjuk még, mit jelentett az ?tvenes években, ha valakir?l azt mondták: ?elvitte egy fekete autó”, ahogy a ma emberének nem csengenek ismeretlenül az ?VO vagy az ?VH bet?szavak sem. Ezt hallva mindenki tudja: a kommunista diktatúráról, és annak legfontosabb eszk?zér?l, a politikai rend?rségr?l van szó. M?LLER ROLF k?nyve e szervezet t?rténetét dolgozza fel. A második világháború végét?l az 1956-os forradalomig kalauzolja el az olvasót, mik?zben számos k?zszájon forgó fogalmat tisztáz. Sorra veszi a kül?nb?z? elnevezések alatt m?k?d? titkos nyomozó szerveket, az átalakítások m?g?tt meghúzódó okokat. Elbeszéli az államvédelem évekig els? számú vezet?jének, Péter Gábornak az élett?rténetét, bemutatja kevésbé ismert riválisát, segít?it, és pozíciójának ?r?k?seit. Szemléletes példákat hoz a Rákosi Mátyás és sz?kebb k?re által gyakorolt ?kézi irányításra”, amelynek során még a felejthetetlen helsinki olimpia és a magyar-angol labdarúgó mérk?zés is el?kerül. A k?tetb?l természetesen nem maradhatnak ki az ügyn?k?k és a besúgók sem: a hálózat m?k?désén és a titkos technikákon túl az érdekl?d? megismerheti azt is, hogy kikb?l szervezték a hivatásos állományt, bepillanthat mindennapjaikba, és végigjárhatja azokat a helyszíneket, amelyek valamilyen módon a magyar politikai rend?rség legs?tétebb évtizedéhez k?t?dtek. Müller Rolf 1974-ben született Kaposváron. A Kossuth Lajos Tudományegyetem b?lcsészkarán végzett t?rténelem-politológia szakon. 1998-tól a T?rténeti Hivatalnak, 2033 óta jogutódjának, az ?llambiztonsági Szolgálatok T?rténeti Levéltárának munkatársa. Alapító szerkeszt?je a Betekint? cím? internetes folyóiratnak, t?bb éven át a lap f?szerkeszt?je. 2007-ben védte meg doktori disszertációját. 2011 szeptemberét?l a Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Bolyai-?szt?ndíjasa. Kutatási területe az 1945 és 1990 k?z?tt m?k?d? magyar politikai rend?rség t?rténete, illetve a fényképek és az emlékezet kapcsolata.

Written as a follow-up to 'A Book of Operas', this is another comprehensive study of several great operas from the renowned musicologist Henry Edward Krehbiel. Includes in-depth analyses of: Samson and Delilah and other biblical operas Die Konigin von Saba Herodiade Lakme Pagliacci Cavalleria Rusticana The operas of Mascagni Iris Madame Butterfly Der Rosenkavalier Konigskinder Boris Godounoff Madame Sans-Gene The operas of Wolf-Ferrari

1944. május k?zepét?l sz?k két hónap leforgása alatt a magyar csend?r?k, rend?r?k és hivatalnokok hatékony k?zrem?k?désével t?bb mint 430 ezer, zsidónak min?sített magyar állampolgárt deportáltak. Túlnyomó t?bbségüket Auschwitz-Birkenauba vitték és meg?lték. Vajon az események milyen láncolata vezetett ehhez a holokauszt t?rténetében is példátlan méret? és gyorsaságú akcióhoz? Hol határoztak a magyarországi ?végs? megoldásról”? Berlinben vagy Budapesten? Kik, mikor és milyen k?rülmények k?z?tt hoztak végs? d?ntést a magyar zsidók deportálásáról? K?D?R G?BOR és V?GI ZOLT?N az etnikai tisztogatásokat és népirtásokat, valamint a világháborús német és magyar d?ntéshozatali mechanizmust elemezve keres válaszokat a kérdésekre. ?gy vélik, hogy a tragédia hátterében két er?, két szándék találkozása állt. Az egyik a német népirtási program volt, amelynek gy?kerei Hitler és a nácik radikális antiszemitizmusában, fajhigiéniai és etnopolitikai elképzeléseiben lelhet?k fel. A másik pedig az a mára szinte elfelejtett magyar t?rténeti attit?d, amely évszázadok óta az ?idegennek” tekintett népcsoportok beolvasztására, kiszorítására és el?zésére t?rekedett, és amely rabul ejtette a hazai fajvéd?k és a politikai elit gondolkodását. A t?rténészpáros szerint 1944-ben e két t?rekvést leginkább megszemélyesít? szerepl?k, a német Adolf Eichmann és a magyar Endre László végzetes találkozása radikalizálta tovább azt a folyamatot, amely az európai zsidóüld?zés egyik leggyilkosabb d?ntéséhez vezetett.

1974-ben az Emmanuelle meghódította a francia mozikat, és r?vid id?n belül az egész világon hatalmas sikert aratott. A korabeli plakátokról egy húsz év k?rüli, r?vid hajú, félmeztelen szépség nézett kihívóan egy fonott karosszékéb?l. Ekkor még senki sem sejtette, hogy SYLVIA KRISTEL, ez az akkor még ismeretlen holland lány hamarosan a szexuális forradalom egyik emblematikus alakjává válik. A hírnévt?l és a sikert?l megrészegült színészn? egy csapásra a nemzetk?zi filmvilág ünnepelt sztárja lett, azonban nem kapott elég id?t, hogy feldolgozza a hirtelen j?tt népszer?séget, sem pedig a gyermekkorában ?t ért sérelmeket. A sztárok fény?z? és gondtalan életét élte, udvarlók seregei hevertek a lába el?tt, bejáratos volt a legcsillogóbb hollywoodi fogadásokra. Magánéletében azonban már k?zel sem volt ilyen szerencsés. Házasságai zátonyra futottak, a sorozatos sorscsapások és a múlt démonai el?l az alkoholba és drogokba menekült. Kicsapongásainak végül egy súlyos betegség vetett véget. Visszaemlékezéseiben ?szintén tárja elénk egy olyan asszony felemel? és megrendít? t?rténetét, akinek nem csak meztelen teste érdemel figyelmet.

Insumeaza o serie de cursuri universitare (de docenta si nu numai) tinute de unul dintre cei mai ilustrii elevi ai lui Vasile Parvan, prof. dr. docent Vladimir Dumitrescu, la Universitatea din Bucuresti in anii 30 ai secolului trecut, in vederea obtinerii titlului de docent si pe cel de conferentiar al respectivei Universitati. Volumul incepe cu o cuprinzatoare prelegere din care aflam cere au fost formele de civilizatie preistorica in Dacia rasariteana pana in mileniul I, i. C., precum si rolul marilor fluvii in dezvoltarea civilizatiilor omenesti.

Dictionarul de sociologie rurala este primul volum din cele sase care alcatuiesc Enciclopedia Rurala. Lucrarea se inscrie in traditia deschisa de Scoala Sociologica de la Bucuresti si pentru realizarea sa a colaborat un colectiv de autori din toate centrele universitare ale tarii: Bucuresti, Cluj, Oradea, Iasi, Brasov, Craiova. Dictionarul este structurat pe patru sectiuni (termeni, personalitati, curente, reviste) si cumuleaza, pe o intindere de aproximativ 650 de pagini, un numar de peste 300 de termeni. Lucrarea valorifica terminologia sociologiei rurale romanesti si europene precum si cea din practica unor institutii internationale si regionale care prin natura preocuparilor lor afecteaza mediul rural. De asemenea dictionarul ofera o sistematizare schematica a teoriilor si curentelor de referinta pentru domeniu si constituie un ghid util pentru toti cei interesati de practica si metodologia de cercetare rurala din sociologie, antropologie si politici de dezvoltare.

In The Beginner's American History, D. H. Montgomery provides a wide-ranging and authoritative history of America, capturing in a compact space the full story of our nation. The Beginner's American History offers an illuminating account of politics, diplomacy, and war as well as the full spectrum of social, cultural, and scientific developments that shaped our country.?Illustrated, Maps, Full-Page Illustrations. Contents start with Columbus, last chapter is Since the Civil War. Some of the other contents: Captian Sutter, General Sam Houston, General Andrew Jackson, General George Rogers Clark and lots more.

Organizarea, activitatea ?i orientarea ?n coresponden?? diplomatic? rom?n? ?i note ale SSIVolumul are ca subiect principal organizarea, activitatea ?i orientarea emigra?iei politice din fostul Imperiu Rus ?n Europa, considerat? ca un pericol permanent la adresa regimului comunist, emigra?ie ai c?rei lideri au f?cut obiectul ?ncerc?rilor permanente de terorizare, lichidare sau discreditare.Documentele selectate, ?n cea mai mare parte, din Arhiva Diplomatic?, reprezint? rapoarte ale lega?iilor ?i oficiilor consulare rom?ne din Atena, Belgrad, Berlin, Berna, Bratislava, Budapesta, Istanbul, Lisabona, Madrid, Paris, Praga, Roma, Rusciuk, Skopje, Sofia, Stockholm, Vichy sau Zagreb, precum ?i note ale Serviciului Special de Informa?ii, c?tre Ministerul Afacerilor Str?ine, ?n timpul campaniei germano-rom?ne ?mpotriva Uniunii Sovietice. Sursele reflect? nu doar starea de fapt ?i de spirit a emigran?ilor, for?a?i s? aleag? ?ntre regimul totalitar comunist ?i cel nazist, dar ?i pozi?ia Bucure?tiului fa?? de problemele rus? ?i ucrainean?, cu profunde implica?ii geopolitice.

Aganetha Smart, a 104 éves egykori olimpikon futón? elfeledve él egy nyugdíjasotthonban. Gy?zelmével annak idején mindenkit leny?g?z?tt: a kanadai versenyz? abban az évben nyert aranyat, amikor el?sz?r szerepelhettek n?i atléták az olimpián. Sorsát azonban legalább ennyire meghatározták az els? világháború komor évei, valamint vágya, hogy szembeszálljon korának konvencióival. Egy napon két idegen keresi fel, akik dokumentumfilmet készítenek a régi id?k n?i sportolóiról. A múlt eseményeit megismerve lassan megértjük, miként segített az aranyérem Aganethának megszabadulni a titkokkal terhelt családi ház béklyóitól. ?m a hajdani bajnokn?nek még egy kihívással szembe kell néznie: a filmesek talán nem is azok, mint akiknek mutatják magukat… Carrie Snydert valós t?rténelmi helyzetek inspirálták, hogy megírja fordulatokban gazdag regényét, a becsvágy és a n?i emancipáció t?rténetét, amelyb?l kiderül, hogyan képes határait átlépve a saját életét élni egy n?.

The dominant motives in Calderon's dramas are characteristically national: fervid loyalty to Church and King, and a sense of honor heightened almost to the point of the fantastic. Though his plays are laid in a great variety of scenes and ages, the sentiment and the characters remain essentially Spanish; and this intensely local quality has probably lessened the vogue of Calderon in other countries. In the construction and conduct of his plots he showed great skill, yet the ingenuity expended in the management of the story did not restrain the fiery emotion and opulent imagination which mark his finest speeches and give them a lyric quality which some critics regard as his greatest distinction. Of all Calderon's works, "Life is a Dream" may be regarded as the most universal in its theme. It seeks to teach a lesson that may be learned from the philosophers and religious thinkers of many ages—that the world of our senses is a mere shadow, and that the only reality is to be found in the invisible and eternal. The story which forms its basis is Oriental in origin, and in the form of the legend of "Barlaam and Josaphat" was familiar in all the literatures of the Middle Ages. Combined with this in the plot is the tale of Abou Hassan from the "Arabian Nights," the main situations in which are turned to farcical purposes in the Induction to the Shakespearean "Taming of the Shrew." But with Calderon the theme is lifted altogether out of the atmosphere of comedy, and is worked up with poetic sentiment and a touch of mysticism into a symbolic drama of profound and universal philosophical significance. LIFE IS A DREAM DRAMATIS PERSONAE Basilio King of Poland.Segismund his Son.Astolfo his Nephew.Estrella his Niece.Clotaldo a General in Basilio's Service.Rosaura a Muscovite Lady.Fife her Attendant. Chamberlain, Lords in Waiting, Officers,Soldiers, etc., in Basilio's Service. The Scene of the first and third Acts lies on the Polish frontier: of the second Act, in Warsaw. As this version of Calderon's drama is not for acting, a higher and wider mountain-scene than practicable may be imagined for Rosaura's descent in the first Act and the soldiers' ascent in the last. The bad watch kept by the sentinels who guarded their state-prisoner, together with much else (not all!) that defies sober sense in this wild drama, I must leave Calderon to answer for; whose audience were not critical of detail and probability, so long as a good story, with strong, rapid, and picturesque action and situation, was set before them. about author: Pedro Calderon de la Barca was born in Madrid, January 17, 1600, of good family. He was educated at the Jesuit College in Madrid and at the University of Salamanca; and a doubtful tradition says that he began to write plays at the age of thirteen. His literary activity was interrupted for ten years, 1625-1635, by military service in Italy and the Low Countries, and again for a year or more in Catalonia. In 1637 he became a Knight of the Order of Santiago, and in 1651 he entered the priesthood, rising to the dignity of Superior of the Brotherhood of San Pedro in Madrid. He held various offices in the court of Philip IV, who rewarded his services with pensions, and had his plays produced with great splendor. He died May 5, 1681. At the time when Calderon began to compose for the stage, the Spanish drama was at its height. Lope de Vega, the most prolific and, with Calderon, the greatest, of Spanish dramatists, was still alive; and by his applause gave encouragement to the beginner whose fame was to rival his own. The national type of drama which Lope had established was maintained in its essential characteristics by Calderon, and he produced abundant specimens of all its varieties. Of regular plays he has left a hundred and twenty; of "Autos Sacramentales," the peculiar Spanish allegorical development of the medieval mystery, we have seventy-three; besides a considerable number of farces.

RUINS OF ANCIENT CITIES, WITH GENERAL AND PARTICULAR ACCOUNTS OF THEIR RISE, FALL, AND PRESENT CONDITION. - BY CHARLES BUCKE This Volume contain these cities; Abydos, Abydus, ?gesta, ?ina, Agrigentum, Alba Longa, Alcantara, Alexandria, Amisus, Antioch, Argos, Ariammene, Arsinoe, Artaxata, Artemita, Athens, Babylon, Balbec, Byzantium, Cairo (Old), Cann?, Capua, Carthage, Catanea, Chalcedon, Ch?ronea, Corduba, Corcyra (Corfu), Corinth, Ctesiphon, Delphos, Ecbatana, Eleusis, Elis, Ephesus, Gerasa (Djerash), Granada, Gnidos, Heliopolis, Herculaneum, Hierapolis, Isfahan, Italica, Jerusalem, Laced?mon, Or Sparta, Laodicea, Leuctra, Magnesia, Mantinea, Marathon, Megalopolis, Megara, Memphis. Of chance or change, oh! let not man complain;Else shall he never, never, cease to wail;For from the imperial dome, to where the swainRears his lone cottage in the silent dale,All feel the assault of fortune's fickle gale.Art, empire, earth itself, to change are doom'd;Earthquakes have raised to heaven the humble vale;And gulfs the mountains' mighty mass entomb'd;And where the Atlantic rolls wide continents have bloom'd. {BEATTIE.} The reader is requested to observe, that, though the plan of this work is entirely his own, the compiler of it does not put it forth as in any way original in respect to language or description. It is, in fact, a much better book, than if it had been what is strictly called original, (which, indeed, must have involved an utter impossibility:) for it is a selection of some of the best materials the British Museum could furnish; sometimes worked up in his own language; and sometimes—and, indeed, very frequently—in that of others: the compiler having, at an humble distance and with unequal steps, followed the plan which M. Rollin proposed to himself, when he composed his celebrated history of ancient times.—"To adorn and enrich my own," says that celebrated writer, "I will be so ingenuous as to confess, that I do not scruple, nor am ashamed, to rifle whereever I come; and that I often do not cite the authors from whom I transcribe, because of the liberty I take to make some slight alterations. I have made the best use in my power of the solid reflections that occur in the Bishop of Meaux's Universal History, which is one of the most beautiful and most useful books in our language. I have also received great assistance from the learned Dean Prideaux's 'Connexion of the Old and New Testament,' in which he has traced and cleared up, in an admirable manner, the particulars relating to ancient history. I shall take the same liberty with whatever comes in my way, that may suit my design, and contribute to its perfection. I am very sensible, that it is not so much for a person's reputation to make use of other men's labours, and that it is in a manner renouncing the name and quality of author. But I am not over-fond of that title, and shall be extremely well pleased, and think myself very happy, if I can but deserve the name of a good compiler; and supply my readers with a tolerable history, who will not be over-solicitous to inquire what hand it comes from, provided they are but pleased with it."

The Aeneid is widely considered Virgil's finest work and one of the most important poems in the history of western literature. Virgil worked on the Aeneid during the last eleven years of his life (29–19 BC), commissioned, according to Propertius, by Augustus. The epic poem consists of 12 books in dactylic hexameter verse which describe the journey of Aeneas, a warrior fleeing the sack of Troy, to Italy, his battle with the Italian prince Turnus, and the foundation of a city from which Rome would emerge. The Aeneid's first six books describe the journey of Aeneas from Troy to Rome. Virgil made use of several models in the composition of his epic; Homer the preeminent classical epicist is everywhere present, but Virgil also makes especial use of the Latin poet Ennius and the Hellenistic poet Apollonius of Rhodes among the various other writers to which he alludes. Although the Aeneid casts itself firmly into the epic mode, it often seeks to expand the genre by including elements of other genres such as tragedy and aetiological poetry. Ancient commentators noted that Virgil seems to divide the Aeneid into two sections based on the poetry of Homer; the first six books were viewed as employing the Odyssey as a model while the last six were connected to the Iliad. Book 1 (at the head of the Odyssean section) opens with a storm which Juno, Aeneas' enemy throughout the poem, stirs up against the fleet. The storm drives the hero to the coast of Carthage, which historically was Rome's deadliest foe. The queen, Dido, welcomes the ancestor of the Romans, and under the influence of the gods falls deeply in love with him. At a banquet in Book 2, Aeneas tells the story of the sack of Troy, the death of his wife, and his escape, to the enthralled Carthaginians, while in Book 3 he recounts to them his wanderings over the Mediterranean in search of a suitable new home. Jupiter in Book 4 recalls the lingering Aeneas to his duty to found a new city, and he slips away from Carthage, leaving Dido to commit suicide, cursing Aeneas and calling down revenge in a symbolic anticipation of the fierce wars between Carthage and Rome. In Book 5, Aeneas' father Anchises dies and funeral games are celebrated for him. On reaching Cumae, in Italy in Book 6, Aeneas consults the Cumaean Sibyl, who conducts him through theUnderworld where Aeneas meets the dead Anchises who reveals Rome's destiny to his son. Book 7 (beginning the Iliadic half) opens with an address to the muse and recounts Aeneas' arrival in Italy and betrothal to Lavinia, daughter of King Latinus. Lavinia had already been promised to Turnus, the king of the Rutulians, who is roused to war by the Fury Allecto, and Amata Lavinia's mother. In Book 8, Aeneas allies with King Evander, who occupies the future site of Rome, and is given new armor and a shield depicting Roman history. Book 9 records an assault by Nisus and Euryalus on the Rutulians, Book 10, the death of Evander's young son Pallas, and 11 the death of the Volscian warrior princess Camilla and the decision to settle the war with a duel between Aeneas and Turnus. The Aeneid ends in Book 12 with the taking of Latinus' city, the death of Amata, and Aeneas' defeat and killing of Turnus, whose pleas for mercy are spurned. The final book ends with the image of Turnus' soul lamenting as it flees to the underworld.

Йшов четвертий р?к св?тово? в?йни. Втомлений под?ями генерал-лейтенант рос?йсько? ?мператорсько? арм?? Павло Петрович Скоропадський, нащадок старовинно? старшинсько? фам?л??, ще не знав, що стане гетьманом незалежно? Укра?нсько? Держави.??Епоха зм?н, яку самовбивчо наближали революц?онери вс?х мастей, перетворилася на апокал?псис, в?йну вс?х проти вс?х, але Скоропадському стало духу взяти на себе невдячну ношу державного буд?вництва. Спроба зак?нчилася ц?лковитим ? оч?куваним провалом, але окрем? починання гетьмана дотривали до наших дн?в: саме йому Укра?на завдячу?, наприклад, Академ??ю наук.

MODERN scientific publications, although they may in some or even many cases equal in their scientific quality the memoirs of earlier workers, do not, on the average, reach a high standard as regards illustration. For instance, in Great Britain botany is pre-eminent in its morphological aspects; it should therefore follow that the illustrations, which form so important a part of such papers, should be beyond reproach. This is not always so, a fact which must be patent to anyone with the slightest critical knowledge who looks through a typical journal. This is a fact much to be regretted, since many of the earlier scientists were accomplished draughtsmen and, indeed, often artists; in this connection the Hookers and Pro-fessor Daniel Oliver may be mentioned. The implication is not intended that there are no good amateur draughtsmen nowadays; there are, and in some cases pos-sessed of great ability. The beautiful work of Church in his Floral Mechanisms may be cited as an example. It may, of course, be argued that any picture which serves to illustrate the particu-lar feature is good enough; this is the contention of one who takes an insufficient pride in his work. A feature worthy of an illustration deserves the best the author can produce, more especially as a literary form is still, fortunately, preserved or, at any rate, aimed at.The reason for indifferent illustrations is primarily due to bad or mediocre draw-ings, or to their unsuitability for the kind of reproduction in view. With regard to the first point: this lack of draughtsmanship often obtains; when education entirely replaces mere instruction, it is to be hoped that all students of science will be trained in the rudiments of drawing. Meanwhile the difficulty can be partly overcome, as will be seen later on, by the simple means of drawing on an enlarged scale, in order that in reproduction reduction can be made. The second reason, the onus of which also falls on the authors, is a lack of knowledge regarding the kind of drawing suitable for the different modes of re-production; this is a very important point, for "technical conditions govern even genius itself."Authors, however, are not always to blame; it would appear that even editors sometimes are wanting in the requisite knowledge, for we have known straight-forward line drawings reproduced by half-tone; in other cases the paper used is unsuitable for the reproduction and, at other times, the printers are at fault. With a view to remedying, at any rate in part, these deficiencies, a course of lec-tures, arranged by the Board of Studies in Botany of the University of London, was delivered in the Lent term of 1913 in the Department of Botany of University College, London. In gratifying the wish expressed by some that these lectures should be given a more permanent dress, the author feels that some apology is necessary, for he can lay no claim to authoritative knowledge of much of the subject-matter; questions relating to the graphic arts and to illustrations, however, have always been of in-terest to him, so that he has tried various experiments, often with disastrous re-sults, and thus has gained some experience. In these matters the author has benefited much through his association with Pro-fessor F. W. Oliver, who, characteristically, has been ever ready to discuss these problems with, and to place his knowledge and experience at the disposal of the author.

ROMANCE and the HISTORY of walled cities are inseparable. Who has not felt this to be so at the sight of hoary ruins lichen-clad and ivy-mantled, that proudly rear their battered crests despite the ravages of time and man’s destructive instincts. It is within walled cities that the life of civilized man began: the walls guarded him against barbarian foes, behind their shelter he found the security necessary to his cultural development, in their defence he showed his finest qualities. And such a city—and such a history is that of Ancient Byzantium, the City of Constantine, the Castle of C?sar. What wonder then that man should endeavour to express by pen and pencil his sense of the greatness and beauty, the Romance of a Walled City such as Constantinople. The more so that a movement is on foot to remove these ancient landmarks of the history of Europe and Asia. True there are other works on this same subject, works by men deeply learned in the history of this fair city, works that bid fair to outlive the city walls if the fell intent of destroying them is carried into execution, and from these men and their works I derived inspiration and information, and so wish to chronicle my gratitude to them—Sir Edwin Pears and Professor van Millingen of Robert College, Constantinople. There are many others too in Constantinople to whom my thanks are due—His Majesty’s Vice-Consul, my host, his colleagues, now my friends, and many others too numerous to mention. They all have helped me in this work, and I am grateful for the opportunity offered me of here recording my thankfulness for their kind offices.B. Granville Baker.