In this thought-provoking book preeminent scholar Stephen Houston turns his attention to the crucial role of young males in Classic Maya society drawing on evidence from art writing & material culture The Gifted Passage establishes that adolescent men in Maya art were the subjects & makers of hieroglyphics painted ceramics & murals in works that helped to shape & reflect masculinity in Maya civilization The political volatility of the Classic Maya period gave male adolescents valuable status as potential heirs & many of the most precious surviving ceramics likely celebrated their coming-of-age rituals The ardent hope was that youths would grow into effective kings & noblemen capable of leadership in battle & service in royal courts Aiming to shift mainstream conceptions of the Maya Houston argues that adolescent men were not simply present in images & texts but central to both ...

" What I saw as I looked at each panel of Gooden&s gifted charcoal landscape were my own beliefs that animals especially dogs have already made their first four-legged steps to understanding the abstract "
- Ain&t It Cool News " This series has momentum I sped through the pages with bated breath wincing & cringing moaning in agony with the characters & cursing the villains as I went When it was over I went back & took my time appreciating the simplistic nature & the way the story could be told with no words at all"
- Inglourious Fiction A lone wolf starved & broken hunts for food amid Earth&s barren landscape Drawn to an industrial plant at the fringe of a city the wolf discovers a chance But humans protect what they believe they own Wounded & dying the wolf seeks shelter What he finds however proves far more powerful the gift of consciousness Discovering that he is not alone the wolf leads his fellow animals in a violent uprising against humanity fighting to bring color back to the world

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From the acclaimed author of The Old Ways & Landmarks -- an essay on the joy of reading for anyone who has ever loved a book Every book is a kind of gift to its reader & the act of giving books is charged with a special emotional resonance It is a meeting of three minds (the giver the author the recipient) an exchange of intellectual & psychological currency that leaves each participant enriched Here Robert Macfarlane recounts the story of a book he was given as a young man & how he managed eventually to return the favour though never repay the debt From one of the most lyrical writers of our time comes a perfectly formed gem a lyrical celebration of the transcendent power & humanity of the given book ...

The job of the skin is to keep things in On the buttoned-down island of Here all is well By which we mean orderly neat contained & moreover beardless Or at least it is until one famous day when Dave bald but for a single hair finds himself assailed by a terrifying unstoppablemonster! Where did it come from? How should the islanders deal with it? & what most importantly are they going to do with Dave? The first book from a new leading light of UK comics The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is an off-beat fable worthy of Roald Dahl It is about life death & the meaning of beards (We mean a gigantic beard basically) ...

This hilarious retelling of the huge turnip grown in a cottage garden will be enjoyed by small children The old man & his wife tug & heave at the giant turnip to be joined by various animals & birds until it finally comes up ...

The Gilded Stage is a comprehensive tour of the world of opera From its origins in the courts of northern Italy to its internationally recognised position in modern culture Snowman explores the social history of opera houses & impresarios composers & patrons artists & audiences Even the most flamboyant composers could scarcely have imagined the global reach of opera in our own times More opera is performed financed seen heard filmed & broadcast than ever before & the world's leading performers are worshipped & paid like pop stars Yet the art form is widely derided as 'elitist' & parts of the classical recording business appear close to bankruptcy Pinpointing the scandals forgotten history & key revolutions in the form with light erudition & a brilliant anecdotal eye Daniel Snowman reveals that the world of opera has always known crisis & uncertainty
- & the resulting struggles have often proved every bit as dramatic as those portrayed onstage
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In 1903 a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed a military attach E in Peking But soon after her arrival Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman scandalizing the British community Casting her out of the European community her compatriots tear her away from her small daughter A woman abandoned & alone Mary learns to survive over forty tumultuous years in Asia including two world wars & the cataclysmic Tokyo earthquake of 1923 ...

The classic story of The Gingerbread Man retold with simple text & delightful illustrations When the Gingerbread Man runs away from the old lady's oven the whole village is soon chasing after him First Reading Level Three titles help beginner readers develop reading stamina & include character sheets or maps & the main story Part of the Usborne Reading Programme developed with reading experts at the University of Roehampton ...

This delightful picture book is based on the beloved classic tale & retold for younger children Run run as fast as you can you can't catch him he's the Gingerbread Man! But although he may be able to out-run everyone can the Gingerbread Man outwit the cunning fox? This title features vibrant illustrations taken from the popular First Reading series ...

Run run as fast as you can You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man! A fresh retelling of the well-loved story complete with a baby-friendly ending & charming illustrations by Raffaella Ligi throughout 24 pages full colour throughout Sims Lesley ...