Lays emphasis on the continuing influence of the country's African heritage whilst also chronicling the processes of colonial conquest & of economic development stemming from the industrial revolution This is followed by an analysis of the fundamental political changes South Africa has undergone & a background for understanding those many things which have not changed ...

The Netherlands is known among foreigners today for its cheese & its windmills its Golden Age paintings & its experimentation in social policies such as cannabis & euthanasia Yet the historical background for any of these quintessentially Dutch achievements is often unfamiliar to outsiders This concise history offers an overview of this surprisingly little-known but fascinating country Beginning with the first humanoid settlers the book follows the most important contours of Dutch history from Roman times through to the Habsburgs the Dutch Republic & the Golden Age The author a modernist pays particularly close attention to recent developments including the signature features of contemporary Dutch society In addition to being a political history this overview also gives systematic attention to social & economic developments as well as in religion the arts & the Dutch struggle against the water The Dutch Caribbean is also included in the narrative ...

Now in a fully updated edition that goes through the Obama administration & the election of Donald Trump this compact & accessible introduction offers a historical perspective on the evolution of US foreign policy from the founding to the present Joyce P Kaufman provides students with a clear & concise understanding of key decisions & why they were made She identifies the major themes that have guided foreign policy & the reasons that the United States pursued the policies that it did in the context of specific periods in the nation's history The book focuses on the major actors involved in the making of foreign policy & the changing relationships among them It also explains the major theoretical perspectives within international relations & places key foreign policy decisions within these frameworks Kaufman concludes with a look forward to the challenges the United States will face in the coming decades With its strong narrative & use of compelling case studies the book engages students fully in this crucial topic encouraging them to form their own ideas about American foreign policy ...

Accessible to all students with a sound background in high school mathematics A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics Fourth Edition presents some of the most fundamental & beautiful ideas in pure mathematics It covers not only standard material but also many interesting topics not usually encountered at this level such as the theory of solving cubic equations; Euler's formula for the numbers of corners edges & faces of a solid object & the five Platonic solids; the use of prime numbers to encode & decode secret information; the theory of how to compare the sizes of two infinite sets; & the rigorous theory of limits & continuous functions New to the Fourth Edition Two new chapters that serve as an introduction to abstract algebra via the theory of groups covering abstract reasoning as well as many examples & applications New material on inequalities counting methods the inclusion-exclusion principle & Euler's phi function Numerous new exercises with solutions to the odd-numbered ones Through careful explanations & examples this popular textbook illustrates the power & beauty of basic mathematical concepts in number theory discrete mathematics analysis & abstract algebra Written in a rigorous yet accessible style it continues to provide a robust bridge between high school & higher-level mathematics enabling students to study more advanced courses in abstract algebra & analysis ...

A stunning clothbound edition of John Kennedy Toole&s savagely funny satirical masterpiece designed by the acclaimed Coralie-Bickford ...

John Kennedy Toole's hilarious satire A Confederacy of Dunces is a Don Quixote for the modern age & this Penguin Modern Classics edition

Includes:: a foreword by Walker Percy Never published during his lifetime John Kennedy Toole's masterful comic novel takes its title as well asfrom Jonathan Swift A monument to sloth rant & contempt a behemoth of fat flatulence & furious suspicion of anything modern
- this is Ignatius J Reilly of New Orleans noble crusader against a world of dunces The ordinary folk of New Orleans seem to think he is unhinged Ignatius ignores them heaving his vast bulk through the city's fleshpots in a noble crusade against vice modernity & ignorance But his momma has a nasty surprise in store for him Ignatius must get a job Undaunted he uses his new-found employment to further his mission
- & now he has a pirate costume & a hot-dog cart to do it with John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969) was born in New Orleans He received a master's degree in English from Columbia University & taught at Hunter College & at the University of Southwestern Louisiana He wrote A Confederacy of Dunces in the early sixties & tried unsuccessfully to get the novel published; depressed at least in part by his failure to place the book he committed suicide in 1969 It was only through the tenacity of his mother that her son's book was eventually published & found the audience it deserved winning the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction His long-suppressed novel The Neon Bible written when he was only sixteen was eventually published as well If you enjoyed A Confederacy of Dunces you might like Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim also available in Penguin Modern Classics'A pungent work of slapstick satire & intellectual incongruities it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue' The New York Times



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Describing Tolstoy's crisis of depression & estrangement from the world A Confession (1879) is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty By the time he was fifty Tolstoy had already written the novels that would assure him of literary immortality; he had a wife a large estate & numerous children; he was 'a happy man' & in good health
- yet life had lost its meaning In this poignant confessional fragment he records a period of his life when he began to turn away from fiction & aesthetics & to search instead for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth'
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Describing Tolstoy's crisis of depression & estrangement from the world A Confession is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty It describes his search for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth' Although the Confession led to his excommunication it also resulted in a large following of Tolstoyan Christians springing up throughout Russia & Europe Throughout history some books have changed the world They have transformed the way we see ourselves
- & each other They have inspired debate dissent war & revolution They have enlightened outraged provoked & comforted They have enriched lives
- & destroyed them Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers pioneers radicals & visionaries whose ideas shook civilization & helped make us who we are

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Granta Best of Young American Novelists 2017 In a snow-covered village in Chechnya eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as her father is abducted in the middle of the night by Russian soldiers Their life-long friend & neighbour Akhmed has also been watching & when he finds Havaa he knows of only one person who might be able to help For tough-minded doctor Sonja Rabina it's just another day of trying to keep her bombed-out abandoned hospital going When Akhmed arrives with Havaa asking Sonja for shelter she has no idea who the pair are But over the course of five extraordinary days Sonja's world will shift on its axis revealing the intricate pattern of connections that binds these three unlikely companions together & unexpectedly decides their fate 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is simply spectacular' Ann Patchett ...

A Contented House with Twins unites the UK's leading baby expert Gina Ford & the highly regarded television presenter Alice Beer a mother of twin girls Discovering you are pregnant with twins is both an exciting & a thoroughly terrifying prospect Within weeks of the arrival of her beautiful daughters Alice found that she was 'screaming out for a routine' & craving the knowledge of mothers who had been through it with two This book is the result of those cries Alice's front-line experience of coping with twins is combined with Gina's highly successful parenting advice & for the first time her groundbreaking routines specially adapted for twins Together they tackle the practical & emotional aspects of parenting two babies including- what you can expect in a multiple pregnancy- how to feed two at once- what to do when they each want a different story or both want a hug- how to cope with everyday practicalities shopping bathtime & much more Alice's humorous insights & Gina's essential advice tips support & successful routines will guarantee that parents enjoy their twins & get their lives back ...