万本电子书0元读

万本电子书0元读

Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
¥40.79
Pride and prejudice, one of the most famous novels by Jane Austen, follows uneasy relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, a landowning aristocrat who is too proud to speak to any of the locals and whom Elizabeth overhears refusing to dance with her.
A History of Belarus: A Non-Literary Essay that Explains the Ethnogenesis of the
A History of Belarus: A Non-Literary Essay that Explains the Ethnogenesis of the
Lubov Bazan
¥90.03
Rare materials on Belarus are a potential treasure trove for the English language reader. A blank spot on the map for many, Belarus is an undiscovered mystery in the heart of Europe – undiscovered, because little has been published on the country’s history and current affairs, and the origin of the ethnic group that calls itself ‘Belarusians’. Author Lubov Bazan attempts to uplift the veil of secrecy surrounding Belarus and answer an important question of the ethnogenesis of the Belarusians. Unique in its ongoing struggle for independence, throughout its history Belarus has been deprived of this luxury by being continuously included in various state formations such as Kievan Rus’, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. A History of Belarus is a thorough chronological narrative that covers major milestones of Belarus’s journey into the 21st century. Lubov Bazan gives her readers plenty of leeway to form their own conclusions about the historical material presented. By incorporating different theoretical viewpoints on fundamental issues such as the ethnic background of the Belarusian people and formation of their national identity, the origins of the language, and the historically complex religious composition of the country, Bazan offers a platform for discussion.
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
E. T. A. Hoffmann
¥40.79
On Christmas Eve, the children of Doctor Stahlbaum were not allowed into the family room, let alone the adjoining living room. Evening had come, and Fritz and Marie Stahlbaum sat huddled in a corner. As was usual on Christmas Eve, no-one had brought in a light, and so they sat in an eerie darkness.
Becoming Dead Right:A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes
Becoming Dead Right:A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes
Frances Shani Parker
¥65.99
All of us are entitled to the rewards of a peaceful, pain-free death. This book honors that with true stories about hospice patients and inspiring insights from the author. Becoming Dead Right guides us through the general and "how to" information maze that prepares us for dealing with death. Improving and expanding hospice services will require systemic changes in healthcare institutionss outreach to diverse populations, and funding. With the inclusion of hospice programs in nursing homes, dying with dignity becomes even more important. Millions of aging baby boomers heighten the urgency for better hospice care and conditions in nursing homes. Praise for Becoming Dead Right "A school principal and hospice volunteer, Frances Shani Parker relates her experiences with dying people in nursing homes. The second part of her book is about what we as individuals and as a society must do to improve things for those who are dying. I particularly enjoyed the guided tour, conducted from a wheelchair, of Baby Boomer Haven." -- Dr. Roger Woodruff, Director of Palliative Care, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia "The writing is eloquent and powerful, and the stories are instructive and lasting. After finishing this book, I wanted to do more for other individuals who are dying, for as Ms. Parker so clearly imparts, the dying teach us so much about living well." -- Dr. Peter A. Lichtenberg, Director, Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan "This book is filled with poetry, stories, wisdom and common sense that can help boomers, students, caregivers and policy makers understand their own aging and realize that our society can - and should - make important changes that can ensure safe, dignified, individualized care at the end of our lives." --Alice Hedt, Executive Director, National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform Learn more at www.BecomingDeadRight.com From Loving Healing Press (www.LovingHealing.com) MED042000 Medical : Terminal Care FAM017000 Family & Relationships : Eldercare SOC036000 Social Science : Death & Dying
The Riddle of the Sands
The Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers
¥40.79
Davies is suspicious about what would motivate the Germans to try to kill him when he saw something unusual around Frisian islands in the Baltic sea. Having failed to interest anyone in the government in the incident, he feels it is his patriotic duty to investigate further and invites one of his friends, Carruthers to join in a yachting holiday in the Baltic Sea.
The Americans: "American Problems from the Point of View of a Psychologist"
The Americans: "American Problems from the Point of View of a Psychologist"
Prof. Hugo Münsterberg
¥28.61
"The Americans" by Hugo Munsterberg stands alongside Alexis de Tocqueville's American Democracy as one of the great works on the New World written by a scholar deeply familiar with the Old World. When originally published, it gave the German public a sense of American life, and was described as "a book which deals in a detailed way with the political, economic, intellectual, and social aspects of American culture." Munsterberg, a world-renowned psychologist at the turn of the twentieth century, noted that "its purpose is to interpret systematically the democratic ideals of America."??The primary aim of The Americans is to study the people and America's inner tendencies. It offers a "philosophy of Americanism," the ideology of a people writ whole. Munsterberg's sense of the "spirit" of a people, rather than facts about the people, is revealed in his four cardinal chapters: Self-Direction, Self-Realization, Self-Perfection, and Self-Assertion. While he covers the economic premises of the free market and the politics of party affairs, he considers these the least important. Instead it is the lasting forces and tendencies of American life, rather than problems of the day, that occupy the author. ??This focus was shared by German readers, for whom the book was conceived, and for those in the United States who read the book in English.The dynamic of strong basic tendencies of democratic forces and lesser, but significant, aristocratic tendencies underwrites the strains and tensions in American society. It also defines the special nature of a book, written more than one hundred years ago, that retains its lively sense of purpose and deep insight into American life. ??One could well say that this book is required reading in this day and age for Americans and Europeans alike:??"This is a neglected masterpiece.."
Slavery
Slavery
William E. Channing
¥27.88
The first question to be proposed by a rational being is, not what is profitable, but what is Right. Duty must be primary, prominent, most conspicuous, among the objects of human thought and pursuit. If we cast it down from its supremacy, if we inquire first for our interests and then for our duties, we shall certainly err. We can never see the Right clearly and fully, but by making it our first concern. No judgment can be just or wise, but that which is built on the conviction of the paramount worth and importance of Duty. This is the fundamental truth, the supreme law of reason; and the mind, which does not start from this in its inquiries into human affairs, is doomed to great, perhaps fatal error. The Right is the supreme good, and includes all oth-er goods. In seeking and adhering to it, we secure our true and only happiness. All prosperity, not founded on it, is built on sand. If human affairs are controlled, as we believe, by Almighty Rectitude and Impartial Goodness, then to hope for happiness from wrong do-ing is as insane as to seek health and prosperity by rebelling against the laws of nature, by sowing our seed on the ocean, or making poison our common food. There is but one unfailing good; and that is, fidelity to the Everlasting Law written on the heart, and rewritten and republished in God's Word. Slavery ought to be discussed. We ought to think, feel, speak, and write about it. But whatever we do in regard to it should be done with a deep feeling of re-sponsibility, and so done as not to put in jeopardy the peace of the slave-holding States. On this point public opinion has not been and cannot be too strongly pro-nounced. Slavery, indeed, from its very nature, must be a ground of alarm wherever it exists. Slavery and security can by no device be joined together. But we may not, must not, by rashness and passion increase the peril. To instigate the slave to insurrection is a crime for which no rebuke and no punishment can be too severe. This would be to involve slave and master in common ruin. It is not enough to say, that the Constitution is violated by any action endangering the slave-holding portion of our country. A higher law than the Constitution forbids this unholy interference. Were our national union dissolved, we ought to reprobate, as sternly as we now do, the slightest manifestation of a disposition to stir up a servile war. Still more, were the free and the slave-holding States not only separated, but engaged in the fiercest hostilities, the former would deserve the abhorrence of the world, and the indignation of Heaven, were they to resort to insurrection and massacre as means of victory. Better were it for us to bare our own breasts to the knife of the slave, than to arm him with it against his master. ? ABOUT AUTHOR William Ellery Channing (1780 – 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and along with Andrews Norton, (1786-1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. He was known for his articulate and impassioned sermons and public speeches, and as a prominent thinker in the liberal theology of the day. Channing's religion and thought were among the chief influences on the New England Transcendentalists, though he never countenanced their views, which he saw as extreme. The beliefs he espoused, especially within his "Baltimore Sermon" of May 5, 1819, at the ordination of a future famous theologian and educator in his own right, Jared Sparks, (1789-1866), as the first minister (1819-1823) of the newly organized (1817) "First Independent Church of Baltimore" (later the "First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (Unitarian and Universalist)"). Here he espoused his principles and tenets of the developing philosophy and theology of "Unitarianism" resulted in the organization later in 1825 of the first Unitarian denomination in America (American Unitarian Association) and the later developments and mergers between Unitarians and Universalists resulting finally in the Unitarian Universalist Association of America in 1961. In later years Channing addressed the topic of slavery, although he was never an ardent abolitionist. Channing wrote a book in 1835, entitled, "SLAVERY" James Munroe and Company, publisher. Channing, however, has been described as a "romantic racist" in "Black Abolitionism: A Quest for Human Dignity" by Beverly Eileen Mitchell (133–38). He held a common American belief about the inferiority of African people and slaves and held a belief that once freed, Africans would need overseers. The overseers (largely former slave masters) were necessary because the slaves would lapse into laziness. Furthermore, he did not join the abolitionist movement because he did not agree with their way of conducting themselves, and he felt that voluntary associations limited a person's autonomy. Therefore, he often chose to remain separate from organizations and reform movements. This middle position characterized his attitude about
Smokiana
Smokiana
R. T. Pritchett
¥27.88
Although Smoking is generally associated with Tobacco only, yet there are other plants whose leaves are used for similar purposes & these will be referred to as we come to the different means of using them. Our first Woodcut of Tobacco is from STELLA—ROMA 1669. a work of great value as giving Pipes & the Hookah of Persia as well as Plants but we will start with some of the growths now most generally known of the “NICOTIANA” Family which is very widely spread over the face of the Earth & has of late made great strides in Borneo & Sumatra. We are greatly indebted to old German woodcuts for solid infor-mation anent details of Habits & customs of the 16th. Century which our own people have not handed down to us, take for instance “Hans Sachs.” Book of Trades. Had smoking been in vogue in his day he would have given it—or rather Jost Ammon would have illustrated it so here in 1616 A.D. we find a Sturdy German, blowing a tremendous cloud. It is taken from an old work now in Frankfurt—viz
A Tangled Tale: "The Mathematical Recreations of Lewis Carroll for Childs"
A Tangled Tale: "The Mathematical Recreations of Lewis Carroll for Childs"
Lewis Carroll
¥27.80
TO MY PUPIL.?Beloved pupil! Tamed by thee,?Addish-, Subtrac-, Multiplica-tion,?Division, Fractions, Rule of Three,?Attest thy deft manipulation!??Then onward! Let the voice of Fame?From Age to Age repeat thy story,?Till thou hast won thyself a name?Exceeding even Euclid's glory!??This Tale originally appeared as a serial in The Monthly Packet, beginning in April, 1880. The writer's intention was to embody in each Knot (like the medicine so dexterously, but ineffectually, con-cealed in the jam of our early childhood) one or more mathematical questions "in Arithmetic, Algebra, or Geometry, as the case might be" for the amusement, and possible edification, of the fair readers of that Magazine.?LEWIS CARROLL???"Goblin, lead them up and down."???The ruddy glow of sunset was already fading into the sombre shadows of night, when two travellers might have been observed swiftly—at a pace of six miles in the hour—descending the rugged side of a mountain; the younger bounding from crag to crag with the agility of a fawn, while his companion, whose aged limbs seemed ill at ease in the heavy chain armour habitually worn by tourists in that district, toiled on painfully at his side.??As is always the case under such circumstances, the younger knight was the first to break the silence.?"A goodly pace, I trow!" he exclaimed. "We sped not thus in the ascent!"??"Goodly, indeed!" the other echoed with a groan. "We clomb it but at three miles in the hour."?"And on the dead level our pace is——?" the younger suggested; for he was weak in statistics, and left all such details to his aged companion.?"Four miles in the hour," the other wearily replied. "Not an ounce more," he added, with that love of metaphor so common in old age, "and not a farthing less!"??"'Twas three hours past high noon when we left our hostelry," the young man said, musingly. "We shall scarce be back by supper-time. Perchance mine host will roundly deny us all food!"?"He will chide our tardy return," was the grave reply, "and such a rebuke will be meet."?"A brave conceit!" cried the other, with a merry laugh. "And should we bid him bring us yet another course, I trow his answer will be tart!"
The Way To Geometry
The Way To Geometry
Peter Ramus
¥27.80
Plato saith “tov peov akei gewmetreiv”, That "God doth alwayes worke by Geometry", that is, as the wiseman doth interprete it, Sap. XI. 21. Omnia in mensura & numero & pondere disponere. Dispose all things by measure, and number, and weight: Or, as the learned Plutarch speaketh; He adorneth and layeth out all the parts of the world according to ra-te, proportion, and similitude. ??Now who, I pray you, understandeth what these termes meane, but he which hath some meane skill in Geometry? Therefore none but such an one, may be able to declare and teach these things unto ot-hers.??How many things are there in holy Scripture which may not well be understood without some meane skill in Geometry? The Fabricke and bignesse of Noah's Arke: The Sciagraphy of the Temple set out by Ezechiel, Who may understand, but he that is skilfull in these Arts? I speake not of many and sundry words both in the New and Old Testaments, whose genuine and proper signification is merely Geometricall: And cannot well be conceived but of a Geometer.??To the Reader:??Friendly Reader, that which is here set forth to thy view, is a Translation out of Ramus. ??Formerly indeed Translated by one Mr. Thomas Hood, but never before set forth with the Demonst-rations and Diagrammes, which being cut before the Authors death, and the Worke it selfe finished, the Coppie I having in mine hands, never had thought for the promulgation of it, but that it should have died with its Author, considering no small prejudice usually attends the printing of dead mens Workes, and wee see the times, the world is now all eare and tongue, the most given with the Athenians, to little else than to heare and tell newes: ??And if Apelles that skilfull Artist alwayes found so-mewhat to be amended in those Pictures which he had most curiously drawne; surely much in this Worke might have beene amended if the Authour had lived to refine it..
Oath and Law
Oath and Law
Hippocrates
¥40.79
Medicine is of all the Arts the most noble; but, not withstanding, owing to the ignorance of those who practice it, and of those who, inconsiderately, form a judgment of them, it is at present far behind all the other arts. Their mistake appears to me to arise principally from this, that in the cities there is no punishment connected with the practice of medicine (and with it alone) except disgrace, and that does not hurt those who are familiar with it. Such persons are like the figures which are introduced in tragedies, for as they have the shape, and dress, and personal appearance of an actor, but are not actors, so also physicians are many in title but very few in reality.
Simple and Natural Herbal Living - An Earth Lodge Guide to Holistic Herbs for He
Simple and Natural Herbal Living - An Earth Lodge Guide to Holistic Herbs for He
Maya Cointreau
¥40.79
Herbal living is simple. It's natural. In this illustrated guide, you'll come to understand that an herbal life is a reward in itself. You will learn to appreciate the power held in one tiny leaf. You will be inspired to walk hand in hand with nature, accepting her gifts and respecting her in return. And you'll even learn to appreciate the immense potential you hold inside yourself. Detailing the medicinal uses for over 60 herbs and 23 essential oils, Herbal Living contains many useful recipes for health and home. Herbs for the kitchen, facial products, healing salves and tinctures are all covered in detail."Maya Cointreau will take you on a journey towards a new way of living life. She makes it easy to relate to the material and her words will leave you feeling confident and self-empowered." Kathy Lalonde, RPP
The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
Simon Singh
¥80.25
The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography From the best-selling author of Fermat’s Last Theorem, The Code Book is a history of man’s urge to uncover the secrets of codes, from Egyptian puzzles to modern day computer encryptions. As in Fermat’s Last Theorem, Simon Singh brings life to an anstonishing story of puzzles, codes, languages and riddles that reveals man’s continual pursuit to disguise and uncover, and to work out the secret languages of others. Codes have influenced events throughout history, both in the stories of those who make them and those who break them. The betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the enigma code that helped the Allies in World War II are major episodes in a continuing history of cryptography. In addition to stories of intrigue and warfare, Simon Singh also investigates other codes, the unravelling of genes and the rediscovery of ancient languages and most tantalisingly, the Beale ciphers, an unbroken code that could hold the key to a $20 million treasure.
Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society
Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society
Bill Bryson
¥117.23
Edited and introduced by Bill Bryson, with contributions from Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, Richard Holmes, Martin Rees, Richard Fortey, Steve Jones, James Gleick and Neal Stephenson amongst others, this beautiful, lavishly illustrated book tells the story of science and the Royal Society, from 1660 to the present. On a damp weeknight in November, 350 years ago, a dozen or so men gathered at Gresham College in London. A twenty-eight year old – and not widely famous – Christopher Wren was giving a lecture on astronomy. As his audience listened to him speak, they decided that it would be a good idea to create a Society to promote the accumulation of useful knowledge. With that, the Royal Society was born. Since its birth, the Royal Society has pioneered scientific exploration and discovery. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, John Locke, Alexander Fleming – all were fellows. Bill Bryson’s favourite fellow was Reverend Thomas Bayes, a brilliant mathematician who devised Bayes’ theorem. Its complexity meant that it had little practical use in Bayes’ own lifetime, but today his theorem is used for weather forecasting, astrophysics and stock market analysis. A milestone in mathematical history, it only exists because the Royal Society decided to preserve it – just in case. The Royal Society continues to do today what it set out to do all those years ago. Its members have split the atom, discovered the double helix, the electron, the computer and the World Wide Web. Truly international in its outlook, it has created modern science. ‘Seeing Further’ celebrates its momentous history and achievements, bringing together the very best of science writing. Filled with illustrations of treasures from the Society’s archives, this is a unique, ground-breaking and beautiful volume, and a suitable reflection of the immense achievements of science.
Selling Your Father’s Bones: The Epic Fate of the American West
Selling Your Father’s Bones: The Epic Fate of the American West
Brian Schofield
¥81.52
Part historical narrative, part travelogue through the wilds of the West and part environmental polemic, 'Selling Your Father's Bones' is a thrilling journey through the history and wilderness of the stunning area of landscape that is Continental USA. In the summer of 1877, around seven hundred members of the Nez Perce Native American tribe set out on one of the most remarkable journeys in the history of the American West, a 1,700-mile exodus through the mountains, forests, badlands and prairies of modern-day Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. They had been forced from their homes by the great wave of settlement that crashed over the West as the American nation was born. Led by their charismatic chiefs, the Nez Perce used their unerring knowledge of the landscapes they passed through to survive six battles and many more skirmishes with the pursuing United States Army, as they raced, with women, children and village elders in their care, towards the safety of the Canadian border.But all Chief Joseph, the young pastoral leader of the exodus, wanted was to return home - to his beloved Wallowa valley, which his dying father had ordered him never to abandon: 'Never sell the bones of your father and your mother. ' Now, Brian Schofield retraces the steps of that epic exodus, to tell the full dramatic story of the Nez Perce's fight for survival - and to examine the forces that drove them to take flight. The white settlement of the West had been largely motivated by patriotic fervour and religious zeal, a faith that the American continent had been laid out by God to fuel the creation of a mighty empire. But as he travels through the lands that the Nez Perce knew so well, Schofield reveals that the great project of the Western Empire has gone badly awry, as the mythology of the settlers opened the door to ecological vandalism, unthinking corporations and negligent leadership, which have lest scarred landscapes, battered communities and toxic environments.
Hard, Soft and Wet
Hard, Soft and Wet
Melanie McGrath
¥61.51
Who are the digital generation? They are the millions of youngsters who live with, and love, the technology with which they are growing up. This is their story. Tomorrow belongs to them. ‘This is the book which opens up the electronic frontier to those still left out in the cold, the one McLuhan would have written were he to be still surfing the Nineties’ Arena. ‘At once a romance, a cultural commentary, and a piece of travel writing which adds the virtual world to its itinerary as though it were a new place on the map. ‘ Sadie Plant, The Times Not another book about youth culture, nor cyberpunks, hackers and VR; not a computing manual; not the history of technology; but a book about the first generation of people to take the information age for granted. A personal portrait of the Wired Generation, exploring the dreams, ambitions, aesthetics and assumptions of all the kids growing up digital, worldwide. In these days of video games, PCs, multimedia and personal stereos, it’s all too easy for the sensitive kids to disappear into worlds of their own, and it happens so quickly — one birthday they’re chirpy and sociable, the next they stay home to watch Robocop for the thirty-seventh time or play Mortal Kombat yet again.
The Glass Universe
The Glass Universe
Dava Sobel
¥73.58
‘A biographical orrery – intricate, complex and fascinating’ The Observer ‘A peerless intellectual biography. The Glass Universe shines and twinkles as brightly as the stars themselves’ The Economist #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel returns with a captivating, little-known true story of women in science Before they even had the right to vote, a group of remarkable women were employed by Harvard College Observatory as ‘Human Computers’ to interpret the observations made via telescope by their male counterparts each night. The author of Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter and The Planets shines light on the hidden history of these extraordinary women who changed the burgeoning field of astronomy and our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.
Railway Day Trips: 150 classic train journeys around Britain
Railway Day Trips: 150 classic train journeys around Britain
Julian Holland
¥99.08
Recommended for viewing on colour devices. An essential guide to exploring Britain by train, Railway Day Trips is ideal for anyone planning or looking for inspiration for a rail journey. From bestselling railway author Julian Holland
Gemstones (Collins Gem)
Gemstones (Collins Gem)
Cally Oldershaw
¥38.36
Gemstones have been a source of delight and fascination for many thousands of years. This revised edition explores the nature of gems, their beauty, rarity and durability, and the mineral properties that govern these qualities. It describes the most popular gemstones in detail and looks at how gem minerals form, where they are found and mined, and how they are identified. It includes information about the popular most popular and the lesser known stones, and describes how to distinguish the real from the fake.
Short walks in the Yorkshire Dales
Short walks in the Yorkshire Dales
Collins Maps
¥44.24
The Yorkshire Dales with its picturesque dales, ancient farmhouses and villages offer some superb country walking.This can be explored with these 20 walks, all of which are 5 miles or under in length and can easily be completed in less than 3 hours. This guide, produced in co-operation with the Ramblers and featuring Ordnance Survey mapping, is the perfect way to really appreciate the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. INCLUDES: ? 20 easy to follow walks which can be completed in 3 hours and under. ? Each walk has a detailed 1:25 000 Ordnance Survey map with the route clearly marked plus a detailed de*ion of the route. ? The walks have been chosen with issues like parking and refreshments in mind to make life easy for families. ? Packed with colour photographs of scenes you will see along the walk. The perfect guide for afternoon walks near to Sedburgh, Hawes, Settle, Ingleton, Skipton and Harrogate.
The Times How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords
The Times How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords
Tim Moorey
¥58.86
Expert crossword solver and setter, Tim Moorey, seeks to dispel the myth that cryptic crosswords are the preserve of the elite. In this easy guide, he demonstrates that anyone who enjoys words and word play can learn to solve a cryptic crossword clue. With clear pictorially presented explanations for many clues, you can revel in the deep satisfaction that comes from finishing cryptic crossword puzzles. Designed to apply to the solving of any cryptic crossword, this book develops and expands Tim’s first book, How to Master The Times Crossword, and is designed to guide the cryptic crossword beginner to an enriched solving experience. ? Contains 15 new practice puzzles from 15 different newspaper and magazine sources. ? Many new hints and tips to help every solver ? Greatly expanded lists e.g. of those all-important abbreviations you should know ? A completely new demonstration of how one solver tackles a typical daily cryptic ? Up-to-date sections on the latest help available online eg smartphone and tablet apps ? In-depth and clear explanations of every clue and puzzle answer ? Previously published as ‘How To Master The Times Crossword: The Times Cryptic Crossword Demystified’. This book is a revised and updated version.