Benjamin Franklin : An American Life Editorial Reviews Benjamin Franklin, writes journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson, was that rare Founding Father who would sooner wink at a passer-by than sit still for a formal portrait. What's more, Isaacson relates in this fluent and entertaining biography, the revolutionary leader represents a political tradition that has been all but forgotten today, one that prizes pragmatism over moralism, religious tolerance over fundamentalist rigidity, and social mobility over class privilege. That broadly democratic sensibility allowed Franklin his contradictions, as Isaacson shows. Though a man of lofty principles, Franklin wasn't shy of using sex to sell the newspapers he edited and published; though far from frivolous, he liked his toys and his mortal pleasures; and though he sometimes gave off a simpleton image, he was a shrewd and even crafty politician. Isaacson doesn't shy from enumerating Franklin s occasional peccadilloes and shortcomings, in keepi

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Growing Up: Stories about Growing Up, Meeting Challenges, and Learning from Life Editorial Reviews About the Author Jack Canfield is co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which includes forty New York Times bestsellers, and coauthor of The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. He is a leader in the field of personal transformation and peak performance and is currently CEO of the Canfield Training Group and Founder and Chairman of the Board of The Foundation for Self-Esteem. An internationally renowned corporate trainer and keynote speaker, he lives in Santa Barbara, California. Mark Victor Hansen is a co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Product Details Series: Chicken Soup for the Soul Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Chicken Soup for the Soul; 1 edition (July 29, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 193509601X ISBN-13: 978-1935096016 Product

Society Of Mind 内容简介 Marvin Minsky -- one of the fathers of computer science and cofounder of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT -- gives a revolutionary answer to the age-old question: "How does the mind work?" Minsky brilliantly portrays the mind as a "society" of tiny components that are themselves mindless. Mirroring his theory, Minsky boldly casts The Society of Mind as an intellectual puzzle whose pieces are assembled along the way. Each chapter -- on a self-contained page -- corresponds to a piece in the puzzle. As the pages turn, a unified theory of the mind emerges, like a mosaic. Ingenious, amusing, and easy to read, The Society of Mind is an adventure in imagination. 编辑推荐 For some artificial intelligence researchers, Minsky's book is too far removed from hard science to be useful. For others, the high-level approach of The Society of Mind makes it a gold mine of ideas waiting to be implemented. The author, one of the undisputed

The Second Curve: Thoughts on Reinventing Society 内容简介 Charles Handy is one of the giants of contemporary thought. His books on management including Understanding Organizations and Gods of Management have changed the way we view business. His work on broader issues and trends such as Beyond Certainty has changed the way we view society. In The Second Curve, Handy builds on a life's work to glimpse into the future and see what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. He looks at current trends in capitalism and asks whether it is a sustainable system. He explores the dangers of a society built on credit. He challenges the myth that remorseless growth is essential. He even asks whether we should rethink our roles in life as students, parents, workers and voters and what the aims of an ideal society of the future should be. Provocative and thoughtful as ever, he sets out the questions we all need to ask ourselves and points us in the direction of some of the a

In this wide-ranging inside view of the history and practiceof conducting, analysis and advice comes directly from workingconductors, including Sir Charles Mackerras on opera, BramwellTovey on being an Artistic Director, Martyn Brabbins on modernmusic, Leon Botstein on programming and Vance George on choralconducting, and from those who work closely with conductors: aleading violinist describes working as a soloist with Stokowski,Ormandy and Barbirolli, while Solti and Abbado's studio producerexplains orchestral recording, and one of the world's most powerfulmanagers tells all. The book includes advice on how to conductdifferent types of groups (choral, opera, symphony, early music)and provides a substantial history of conducting as a study ofnational traditions. It is an unusually honest book about asecretive industry and managers, artistic directors, soloists,players and conductors openly discuss their different perspectivesfor the first time.

Join the world's hottest pop star on his rollercoaster ride tosuperstardom!plus FREE wall poster, just for you! His debut albumhas already gone platinum. He's sung for the President of theUnited States. His screaming fans have stormed TV studios and shutdown shopping malls. Justin Bieber is a global superstar and now,for the first time ever, he's going to tell all in his very ownbook. Justin's story is the stuff that every kid dreams of. Growingup an only child in Ontario, Canada, Justin had a natural talentfor music; he was forever singing around the house and taughthimself to play drums, guitar, piano and trumpet. He entered alocal singing competition and despite not having had any vocalcoaching, Justin came second aged only 12 years old. But it waswhen he posted homemade pop videos on YouTube that Justin's dreamsreally came true: the videos quickly became a word-of-mouthsensation, garnering an astonishing 10 million hits. Months later,Justin was spotted by top music manager Scooter Braun who laterjoined f

Twenty-three-year-old Zhuang (or Z as she calls herself) arrives in London to spend a year learning English. Struggling to find her way in the city, and through the puzzles of tense, verb and adverb; she falls for an older Englishman and begins to realise that the landscape of love is an even trickier terrain. 作者简介： Xiaolu Guo was born in a fishing village in south China. She studied film at the Beijing Film Academy and published six books in China before she moved to London in 2002. The English translation of Vi/lage of stone (Chatto, 2004) was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Xiaolu's feature film, How is Your Fish Today? (2006) was selected for the Sundance and Rotterdam Festivals and awarded the prize for best feature at the Creteil International Women's Film Festival. She divides her time between Europe and China.

Societies function on the basis of rules. These rules, ratherlike the rules of the road, coordinate the activities ofindividuals who have a variety of goals and purposes. Whether therules work well or ill, and how they can be made to work better, isa matter of major concern. Appropriately interpreted, the workingof social rules is also the central subject matter of modernpolitical economy. This book is about rules - what they are, howthey work, and how they can be properly analysed. The authors'objective is to understand the workings of alternative politicalinstitutions so that choices among such institutions (rules) can bemore fully informed. Thus, broadly defined, the methodology ofconstitutional political economy is the subject matter of TheReason of Rules. The authors have examined how rules for politicalorder work, how such rules might be chosen, and how normativecriteria for such choices might be established.

From tours of historic parks,buildings,and gardens to tips on after-hours clubs,neighborhood eateries,and charming hotels,and charming hotels,here's an up-close look at over 100 must-see attractions that make the city by the bay unique. 101 Great Choices:San Francisco presents the city at ists best-but leaves the choices up to you.From the Golden Bridge,Coit Tower,and Alcatraz to the shopper's meccas of Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf to the sweetest dungeness crab at Swan's Oyster Depot,San Francisco and all its magnificent diversions are offered up for your pleasure in this one-of-a-kind guide.

The medieval Norse-Icelandic saga is one of the most importantEuropean vernacular literary genres of the Middle Ages. ThisIntroduction to the saga genre outlines its origins anddevelopment, its literary character, its material existence inmanu*s and printed editions, and its changing reception fromthe Middle Ages to the present time. Its multiple sub-genres -including family sagas, mythical-heroic sagas and sagas of knights- are described and discussed in detail, and the world of medievalIcelanders is powerfully evoked. The first general study of the OldNorse-Icelandic saga to be written in English for some decades, theIntroduction is based on up-to-date scholarship and engages withcurrent debates in the field. With suggestions for further reading,detailed information about the Icelandic literary canon, and a mapof medieval Iceland, this book is aimed at students of medievalliterature and assumes no prior knowledge of Scandinavianlanguages.

Some of the most innovative and spell-binding literature hasbeen written for young people, but only recently has academic studyembraced its range and complexity. This Companion offers astate-of-the-subject survey of English-language children'sliterature from the seventeenth century to the present. Withdiscussions ranging from eighteenth-century moral tales to modernfantasies by J. K. Rowling and Philip Pullman, the Companionilluminates acknowledged classics and many more neglected works.Its unique structure means that equal consideration can be given toboth texts and contexts. Some chapters analyse key themes and majorgenres, including humour, poetry, school stories, and picturebooks. Others explore the sociological dimensions of children'sliterature and the impact of publishing practices. Written byleading scholars from around the world, this Companion will beessential reading for all students and scholars of children'sliterature, offering original readings and new research thatreflects the latest dev

The rise and decline of witchcraft around the world, as seen through the perceptive eyes of an anthropologist and historian well-acquainted with traditional Basque and Spanish folklore--which inspired this fascinating, macabre, and chilling book. Beginning with an analysis of the basic mentality of those who have believed in or practiced the magic arts, and covering witchcraft's startling rise throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, it launches into an absorbing and original study that upsets many of the popular notions about the nature and history of the subject. Includes much enthralling material from art, literature, and ecclesiastical and legal documents, as well as discerning psychological studies of witches and their accusers.

This Companion is an essential guide to all aspects of the organand its music. It examines in turn the instrument, the player andthe repertoire. The early chapters tell of the instrument's historyand construction, identify the scientific basis of its sounds andthe development of its pitch and tuning, examine the history of theorgan case, and consider the current trends and conflicts withinthe world of organ building. Central chapters investigate thepractical art of learning and playing the organ, introduce thecomplex area of performance practice, and outline the relationshipbetween organ playing and the liturgy of the church. The finalsection explores the vast repertoire of organ music, focusing on aselection of the most important traditions.

John Millington Synge was a leading literary figure of the IrishRevival who played a significant role in the founding of Dublin'sAbbey Theatre in 1904. This Companion offers a comprehensiveintroduction to the whole range of Synge's work from well-knownplays like Riders to the Sea, The Well of the Saints and ThePlayboy of the Western World, to his influential prose work TheAran Islands. The essays provide detailed and insightful analysesof individual texts, as well as perceptive reflections on hisengagements with the Irish language, processes of decolonisation,gender, modernism and European culture. Critical accounts oflandmark productions in Ireland and America are also included. Witha guide to further reading and a chronology, this book willintroduce students of drama, postcolonial studies, and Irishstudies as well as theatregoers to one of the most influential andcontroversial dramatists of the twentieth century.