Seven decades after his death, German Jewish writer, philosopher, and literary critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) continues to fascinate and influence. Here Uwe Steiner offers a comprehensive and sophisticated introduction to the oeuvre of this intriguing theorist.Acknowledged only by a small circle of intellectuals during his lifetime, Benjamin is now a major figure whose work is essential to an understanding of modernity. Steiner traces the development of Benjamin's thought chronologically through his writings on philosophy, literature, history, politics, the media, art, photography, cinema, technology, and theology. Walter Benjamin reveals the essential coherence of its subject's thinking while also analyzing the controversial or puzzling facets of Benjamin's work. That coherence, Steiner contends, can best be appreciated by placing Benjamin in his proper context as a member of the German philosophical tradition and a participant in contemporary intellectual debates.As Benjamin's writing attracts more and more readers in the English-speaking world, Walter Benjamin will be a valuable guide to this fascinating body of work.

If you have ever wondered 'What is a Zen garden?' then this 50 page new publication for 2013 will tell you. Zen gardens are beautiful Japanese gardens steeped in history, religious meaning and a visual simplicity. There are many styles and many ingredients, Stones, Rocks, Moss, Sand, Gravel, Plants and Shrubs,Lanterns and Ornaments. Japanese Zen gardens is a book that introduces the reader to the subject and presents the options available for anyone wishing to build their own garden space at home - however large or small. Zen gardens are becoming more and more popular around the world and building one is not as difficult as you may think. With a little knowledge and following our step by step instructions with pictures you will discover how straight forward it is to build a Zen garden in your yard or garden. Japanese Zen gardens are serene havens of tranquil beauty and the perfect antidote to a stressful world. The author Russ Chard has written and published Japanese garden books, articles and videos for the past 10 years.

‘The Gustav Holst Way’ is the first guidebook to describe the 35-mile rambling route across the Cotswolds to celebrate the life and work of the composer Gustav Holst. Published exactly 100 years after Holst began work on The Planets, the route visits many of the places that were important to the young Holst as his musical career took wing. Among the highlights are the house in Cheltenham where he was born (now the Holst Birthplace Museum) and several venues in the Cotswolds where he played, conducted and taught music. The richly illustrated guidebook divides the walk into five easy/moderate sections (with four optional detours) and includes detailed maps, points of historical interest and all the practical information you need to follow in Gustav Holst’s footsteps from Cranham to Wyck Rissington. The Holst Birthplace Museum Gustav Holst, one of England’s greatest composers, was born in a Regency terraced house in Cheltenham in 1874. The house has been carefully restored and converted into a ‘living museum’ that captures the atmosphere of the era, both above and below stairs. The most eye-catching of the museum’s collection of 3,000 items is the piano on which Holst composed The Planets, as popular as ever nearly 100 years after it was published. Step inside the Museum and see the piano Holst used to compose The Planets. Find out how he developed into a world-class composer by examining and listening to original manu*s written when he was a schoolboy in Cheltenham. "

Psychiatry has ignored the normal. The focus on defining abnormal behavior has obscured what turns out to be a more fundamental question how does the biology of the brain give rise to the mind, which in turn gives rise to everything we care about: thoughts, feelings, desires, and relationships In The Other Side of Normal , Harvard psychiatrist Jordan Smoller shows us that understanding what the mind was designed to do in the first place demystifies mental illness and builds a new foundation for defining psychiatric disorders from autism to depression. Smoller argues there are no bright lines between normal and abnormal. Psychiatric disorders are variations of the same brain systems that evolved to help us solve the challenges of everyday life. How do we become who we areSmoller explains where our personalities come from, and how the temperaments we had as infants actually stay with us into adulthood. Why do we choose to date, love, and marry the people we doWhy do some of us form healthy relationships while others form unstable onesOur relationships are shaped by the biology that drives two imperatives: maternal-child bonding and child-parent attachment. Along the way, Smoller tackles an even greater question what do we mean by "normal" as he explores the puzzles behind the epidemics of multiple personalities and koro, the shocking phobia that one's penis is shrinking. He also looks at the controversial history of psychiatric classification and the explosive debates over how much early experiences influence our minds and to what degree genetics affect our temperaments, personalities, and emotional lives. Throughout this examination, Smoller explores the hidden sides of such questions as: How are trust and love rooted in biologyHow much does sexual attraction stem from biology rather than cultureAnd what can the scientific study of normal behavior tell us about what it means to be human Based on the author's groundbreaking research and personal experiences treating psychological disorders, The Other Side of Normal changes the way we think about the human condition.

How to be treated like shite in 15 different countries…and still quite like it! Stung by a ten-hour delay and a not-so-bargain fare to Spain on his native 'low fares' airline, Dubliner Paul Kilduff plots revenge. Can Paul beat 'Ruinair' at their low cost game and fly to all fifteen countries in Western Europe for less than the ?300 it cost him to be stranded in an airport lounge surrounded by drunks, bimbos and incompetents (and that was just the flight crew!)? Suffering every low-fares airline indignity: a miniscule carry-on baggage allowance, 6.00 am departures, Six Nations-style boarding scrums, epic bus excursions and terminal anxiety, Paul is doing something he's never done before: travelling to places he never knew he wanted to go, which are probably not quite where he thinks they are, with no idea what he's going to do when he gets there. In a way never before possible Ruinair and its competitors have opened up Europe's treasures to the average traveller, and, as discovered by Paul, a few complete dumps too. In this hilarious, no-holds-barred account of a holiday of a lifetime-cum-human endurance test, Paul takes us on an adventure that is not for the faint-hearted. From Luxembourg to Liechtenstein to Spain and back again, pack your bags (maximum 10kg, please) and join Paul Kilduff on this is a whirlwind no-frills tour of Europe and the low-cost airlines that help make that colourful continent a smaller, and somewhat angrier, place.

Britain's best-loved comic genius Stephen Fry turns his celebrated wit and insight to unearthing the real America as he travels across the continent in his black taxicab. Stephen's account of his adventures is filled with his unique humour, insight and warmth in the fascinating book that orginally accompanied his journey for the BBC1 series. 'Stephen Fry is a treasure of the British Empire.' - The Guardian Stephen Fry has always loved America, in fact he came very close to being born there. Here, his fascination for the country and its people sees him embarking on an epic journey across America, visiting each of its 50 states to discover how such a huge diversity of people, cultures, languages, beliefs and landscapes combine to create such a remarkable nation. Starting on the eastern seaboard, Stephen zig-zags across the country in his London taxicab, talking to its hospitable citizens, listening to its music, visiting its landmarks, viewing small-town life and America's breath-taking landscapes - following wherever his curiosity leads him. Stephen meets a collection of remarkable individuals - American icons and unsung local heroes alike. Stephen starts his epic journey on the east coast and zig-zags across America, stopping in every state from Maine to Hawaii. En route he discovers the South Side of Chicago with blues legend Buddy Guy, catches up with Morgan Freeman in Mississippi, strides around with Ted Turner on his Montana ranch, marches with Zulus in New Orleans' Mardi Gras, and drums with the Sioux Nation in South Dakota; joins a Georgia family for thanksgiving, 'picks' with Bluegrass hillbillies, and finds himself in a Tennessee garden full of dead bodies. Whether in a club for failed gangsters (yes, those are real bullet holes) or celebrating Halloween in Salem (is there anywhere better?), Stephen is welcomed by the people of America - mayors, sheriffs, newspaper editors, park rangers, teachers and hobos, bringing to life the oddities and splendours of each locale. A celebration of the magnificent and the eccentric, the beautiful and the strange, Stephen Fry in America is our author's homage to this extraordinary country.

At 5:12 am on Wednesday, April 18, 1906 a massive earthquake hit the city of San Francisco, causing the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in the history of the state of California. This is a contemporary account of the earthquake, which also compares the devastation to other earthquakes and volcanic eruptions throughout history.

Yorkshire is well known for its miners, pudding and cricket, but 'Yorkshire, A Very Peculiar History' scrapes beyond the surface and past the cliches. Featuring a host of characters from Yorkshire past and present, it's not all grit and grime! Tracing Yorkshire's history back through Roman and Viking rule, to the various tribes which populated the area in prehistoric times, this book covers the largest county in England from all angles. Featuring quirky tales of Yorkshire's crucial role in the industrial revolution, and detailed stories about the famed Wars of the Roses, it tells the astonishing tale of this large and historic county and its people and culture.

Minden, ami 6. Minden, ami megforgatja az észkerekeidet, minden, ami el?csalogat6ja a benned szunnyadó b?lcs tudást. 666 kvízkérdés, amelyek valamilyen úton-módon kapcsolódnak a 6-hoz. Hol a kérdésben, hol a válaszban lapul a 6-os szám vagy a hat, mint szótag; hol pedig 6 válasz k?zül kell kiválasztani vagy éppen 6 segítséggel kell megtalálni a helyes megoldást. A kérdések mégis szerteágazóak, éppúgy megtalál6óak k?ztük a t?rténelemmel, a f?ldrajzzal, a sporttal, a képz?m?vészettel, a zenével és a filmekkel, mint a bulvárral vagy éppenséggel a Fenevaddal kapcsolatosak is. Olvasd magányosan vagy játszd társaságban, most megmutat6od, hogy milyen m?velt vagy!

Обычные пластиковые бутылки – прекрасный материал для творчества! Книга расскажет, как смастерить из них практичные вещи для дома, украшения для участка или даже садовую беседку! Следуйте простым и понятным инструкциям, и в вашем саду посе?лится очаровательный лебедь, вырастут яркие цветы и деревья, интерьер украсят очаровательные шкатулки и вазы, оригинальные подсвечники, практичная штора. А еще вы сможете сделать игрушки для детей и сувениры для друзей! Запасайтесь пустыми бутылками, выбирайте модель из книги – и приступайте к изготовлению. Вы сами убедитесь, насколько это просто! Obychnye plastikovye butylki – prekrasnyj material dlja tvorchestva! Kniga rasskazhet, kak smasterit' iz nih praktichnye veshhi dlja doma, ukrashenija dlja uchastka ili dazhe sadovuju besedku! Sledujte prostym i ponjatnym instrukcijam, i v vashem sadu pose?litsja ocharovatel'nyj lebed', vyrastut jarkie cvety i derev'ja, inter'er ukrasjat ocharovatel'nye shkatulki i vazy, original'nye podsvechniki, praktichnaja shtora. A eshhe vy smozhete sdelat' igrushki dlja detej i suveniry dlja druzej! Zapasajtes' pustymi butylkami, vybirajte model' iz knigi – i pristupajte k izgotovleniju. Vy sami ubedites', naskol'ko jeto prosto!

Account of a trip to America. Here's how he begins his description of San Francisco: " 'Serene, indifferent to fate, Thou sittest at the Western Gate; Thou seest the white seas fold their tents, Oh, warder of two continents; Thou drawest all things, small and great, To thee, beside the Western Gate.' This is what Bret Harte has written of the great city of San Francisco, and for the past fortnight I have been wondering what made him do it. There is neither serenity nor indifference to be found in these parts; and evil would it be for the continents whose wardship were intrusted to so reckless a guardian."

Travel essay, first published in French in "The Orient" in 1869. According to Wikipedia: "Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier (August 30, 1811 – October 23, 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and remains a point of reference for many subsequent literary traditions such as Parnassianism, Symbolism, Decadence and Modernism. He was widely esteemed by writers as diverse as Balzac, Baudelaire, the Goncourt brothers, Flaubert and Oscar Wilde."

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from George Ade ‘In Pastures New.’ ‘In Pastures New’ is a humorous account of travels, chiefly in London and Egypt. Many of the letters appearing in this volume were printed in a syndicate of newspapers in the early months of 1906. With these letters have been incorporated extracts from letters written to the Chicago Record in 1895 and 1898. George Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, newspaper columnist, and playwright.? Ade's literary reputation rests upon his achievements as a great humorist of American character during an important era in American history: the first large wave of migration from the countryside to burgeoning cities like Chicago, where, in fact, Ade produced his best fiction. He was a practicing realist during the Age of (William Dean) Howells and a local colorist of Chicago and the Midwest. His work constitutes a vast comedy of Midwestern manners and, indeed, a comedy of late 19th-century American manners. In 1915, Sir Walter Raleigh, Oxford professor and man of letters, while on a lecture tour in America, called George Ade "the greatest living American writer. Ade's fiction dealt consistently with the "little man," the common, undistinguished, average American, usually a farmer or lower middle class citizen. (He sometimes skewered women, too, especially women with laughable social pretensions.) Ade followed in the footsteps of his idol Mark Twain by making expert use of the American language. A striking and unique feature of Ade's essays was the creative and liberal use of capitalization. George Ade is one of the American writers whose publications made him rich.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Arnold Bennett, ‘"Your United States: Impressions of a first visit Arnold Bennett."’ ? Enoch Arnold Bennett (always known as Arnold Bennett) was one of the most remarkable literary figures of his time, a product of the English Potteries that he made famous as the Five Towns. Yet he could hardly wait to escape his home town, and he did so by the sheer force of his ambition to succeed as an author. In his time he turned his hand to every kind of writing, but he will be remembered for such novels as The Old Wives' Tale, the Clayhanger trilogy (Clayhanger, Hilda Lessways, and These Twain), and The Card. He also wrote such intriguing self-improvement books as Literary Taste, How To Live on 24 Hours a Day, The Human Machine, etc. ? After a local education Bennett finished his education at the University of London and for a time was editor of Woman magazine. After 1900 he devoted himself entirely to writing; dramatic criticism was one of his foremost interests. Bennett is best known, however, for his novels, several of which were written during his residence in France. ? Bennett's infancy was spent in genteel poverty, which gave way to prosperity as his father succeeded as a solicitor. From this provincial background he became a novelist. ? His enduring fame is as a Chronicler of the Potteries towns, the setting and inspiration of some of his most famous and enduring literary work and the place where he grew up.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Rudyard Kipling, ‘Letters of Travel (1892-1913).’ ? Letters of Travel, 1892-1913, originally published in 1920, is a collection of articles on Japan, the United States, Canada and Egypt. ? Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888). His poems include "Mandalay" (1890), "Gunga Din" (1890), "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" (1919), "The White Man's Burden" (1899), and "If—" (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift". ? Kipling was one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date Among other honours, he was sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, all of which he declined

Το βιβλ?ο αυτ? ε?ναι ?να? εγκυκλοπαιδικ?? ταξιδιωτικ?? οδηγ?? για το Νομ? Ιωανν?νων. Συγκεκριμ?να περιγρ?φει κ?θε π?λη, κωμ?πολη, χωρι?, οικισμ?, κ.?. με αλφαβητικ? σειρ? για διευκ?λυνση και αναλυτικ?, ?στε ο αναγν?στη? να μπορε? να βρει ?λε? τι? πληροφορ?ε? που αφορο?ν ?να κεφ?λαιο χωρ?? παραπομπ?? σε ?λλα.??Επ?ση? για διευκ?λυνση το κ?θε κεφ?λαιο ?χει χωριστε? σε μικρ?τερε? εν?τητε? με διαφορετικ? θ?μα και περιεχ?μενο η κ?θε μ?α (π.χ. Πληροφορ?ε?, Ιστορ?α, Διαμον?, κ.?.), ?στε ο αναγν?στη? να μπορε? να διαβ?ζει ?,τι τον ενδιαφ?ρει χωρ?? να ε?ναι αναγκασμ?νο? να διαβ?σει ολ?κληρο το κεφ?λαιο μ?χρι να βρει την πληροφορ?α που θ?λει.??Γενικ? ?χει γ?νει κ?θε προσπ?θεια να βοηθ?σει τον αναγν?στη στην επ?σκεψ? του στο συγκεκριμ?νο Νομ?.

In Kenya and Somalia, most of the population (over 80%) lives in rural areas and therefore derive their livelihoods and incomes from agriculture and livestock production. Thus it is pertinent that environmental and water management be give priority when coming up with suitable conservation technologies. Future options of integrated water resources management for agriculture and livestock production will include: water resources management; adapting water resource management to climate change; response to key drivers of change; an integrated watershed management approach and rainwater harvesting and conservation for sustainable agriculture and livestock production. This book presents a broad spectrum of environment and water management technological options available to most of Kenya's and Somalia’s rural communities. The areas covered by this publication include:? Dryland environments and agriculture; Dryland agriculture and conservation technologies in Kenya; Agricultural watershed management in Kenya; Runoff water Management Systems; Drivers of change for water availability and use for agriculture; Djabia rainwater harvesting system in Lamu, Kenya; Trans-boundary integrated river water management; Integrated land and water management in the Nyando River Catchment Area, Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya; and Key environmental considerations in river basins management in Kenya and Somalia.

Traveler's Paradise - Arabian Peninsula

This book is a lush and beautiful memoir of a very special house and a superb recreation of a bygone era. In 1967, veteran travel writer Eric Newby and his heroic wife Wanda fulfiled their dream of a return to life in the Italian hills where they first met during World War II. But this fulfilment would not come easy. The dream materialised in the form of I Castagni ('The Chestnuts'), a small, decrepit farmhouse with no roof, an abandoned septic tank and its own indigenous wildlife reluctant to give up their home. But in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the border of Liguria and Northern Tuscany, this ramshackle house would soon become a hub of love, friendship and activity. Whether recounting dangerous expeditions through Afghanistan or everyday life in a country house, Newby's talent shines through as one of the foremost writers of the comic travel genre. Full of Newby's sharp wit and good humour, ‘A Small Place’ in Italy returns, twenty years later, to the life of Newby's much-cherished classic, Love and War in the Apennines. It lovingly recounts the quickly disappearing lifestyle of the idiosyncratic locals, and the enduring friendships they forge, whether sharing in growing their first wine harvest as novices or frying poisonous mushrooms for a feast.

Christine Shaw is the author of the hugely successful Collins Practical Gardener: Architectural Plants. She studied horticulture at the Isle of Wight Horticultural College while working nights as a croupier. She has worked at Angus White's famous Architectural Plants nursery near Horsham, and set up a new branch at Chichester in 1996, which she continues to run. In addition, Christine has established a successful career for herself as a freelance horticultural journalist, writing articles for The English Garden, Garden Inspirations, RHS The Garden and Exotic Gardening.

The essence of ‘Home Ground’ is a collection of twenty walks, ranging from about five to fifteen miles in length, situated in the North West of England. The criterion for selection is that each walk must be situated in whole or in part on Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 ‘Landranger’ map no. 103 (Blackburn and Burnley). This was the map used by the author when he first began to explore the area almost fifty years ago, and these long personal associations, heightened by a long absence from the area, make this truly his home ground. Within this relatively small area there is a rich variety of beautiful scenery, largely unsung, all lying within some twenty miles of industrial East Lancashire. From the suburbs of Blackburn to the fringe of the Yorkshire Dales, from the sweeping fells of the Forest of Bowland to the wooded valleys and heights of Calderdale, these walks have something to offer to walkers of practically all tastes. Both the Forest of Bowland and the Pennine Way feature strongly on the map and in the book, and extra sections discuss these features. Especially the Forest of Bowland, recognized as an area of outstanding national beauty but not a national park, is introduced in some detail as its charm and many opportunities for the walker and day visitor are still little known. The Pennine Way, which features in three of the walks, is mentioned more autobiographically as the author recalls his own experience of the Way and its wider relationship to Northern England. About the Author Andrew Stachulski was born in Blackburn in 1950, the son of a Polish father and English mother, and grew up in nearby Great Harwood. He was educated at Accrington Grammar School from 1961 to 1968, when he gained entrance to read Natural Sciences at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He graduated with firstclass honours in 1971 and, after winning a senior scholarship, he remained at the college to study for a Ph. D. under the supervision of Professor Alan (now Sir Alan) Battersby. Following the completion of his doctorate in 1974, he held postdoctoral fellowships with the Medical Research Council and at Jesus College, Oxford until 1978. There followed a long period of employment in the chemical industry, first with Beecham Pharmaceuticals (later SmithKline Beecham) and then Ultrafine Chemicals, Manchester. In 2001 he fulfilled a longheld ambition by returning to academic life at the University of Liverpool, becoming a senior lecturer in 2003. Recently (Jan., 2010) he moved to take up a senior research fellowship at the University of Oxford. Walking has always been a great love of his life, beginning in the Ribble Valley and Pendle country of his native Lancashire. In the mid 1970s he completed a number of Britain’s longdistance footpaths, the Pennine Way, Offa’s Dyke Path and Coast to Coast walk, accompanied by college friends. Subsequently he climbed all the principal fells of the Lake District, where he often returns, and from 1981 again with a college friend he began to climb in the Scottish Highlands. In 2003 he completed the circuit of all the ‘Munros’, the separate Scottish mountains of 3,000 ft. or greater height. His first walks were planned with the aid of the old one inch to one mile Ordnance Survey map of Blackburn and Burnley, and that is truly his home ground. It was particularly following his return to the North in 1991, then living in Greater Manchester, that this book came to be planned. Old walks familiar from childhood, in the Ribble and Hodder valleys, Pendle country, South Pennines and the Forest of Bowland were revisited and built on, and many new ones were added. From these the twenty walks featured in this book have been selected, walks which appeal personally to the author through their beauty or special associations, or which in his view speak most clearly of the characteristics of the area.