Covering 138 billion years in some 100 pages a calculatedly concise wryly intelligent history of everything from the Big Bang to the advent of human civilization With wonder wit & flair-and in record time & space-geophysicist David Bercovici explains how everything came to be everywhere from the creation of stars & galaxies to the formation of Earth's atmosphere & oceans to the origin of life & human civilization Bercovici marries humor & legitimate scientific intrigue rocketing readers across nearly fourteen billion years & making connections between the essential theories that give us our current understanding of topics as varied as particle physics plate tectonics & photosynthesis Bercovici's unique literary endeavor is a treasure trove of real compelling science & fascinating history providing both science lovers & complete neophytes with an unforgettable introduction to the fields of cosmology geology climate science human evolution & more ...

Nations are not trapped by their pasts but events that happened hundreds or even thousands of years ago continue to exert huge influence on present-day politics If we are to understand the politics that we now take for granted we need to understand its origins Francis Fukuyama examines the paths that different societies have taken to reach their current forms of political order This book starts with the very beginning of mankind & comes right up to the eve of the French & American revolutions spanning such diverse disciplines as economics anthropology & geography The Origins of Political Order is a magisterial study on the emergence of mankind as a political animal by one of the most eminent political thinkers writing today ...

A second edition of this leading introduction to the origins of the First World War & the pre-war international system William Mulligan shows how the war was a far from inevitable outcome of international politics in the early twentieth century & suggests instead that there were powerful forces operating in favour of the maintenance of peace He discusses key issues ranging from the military public opinion economics diplomacy & geopolitics to relations between the great powers the role of smaller states & the disintegrating empires In this new edition the author assesses the extensive new literature on the war's origins & the July Crisis as well as introducing new themes such as the relationship between economic interdependence & military planning With well-structured chapters & an extensive bibliography this is an essential classroom text which significantly revises our understanding of diplomacy political culture & economic history from 1870 to 1914 ...

Exploring the reasons why the Second World War broke out in September 1939 & why a European conflict developed into a war that spanned the globe The Origins of the Second World War argues that this was not just ' Hitler's War' but one that had its roots & origins in the decline of the old empires of Britain & France & the rise of ambitious new powers in Germany Italy & Japan who wanted large empires of their own This fourth edition has been revised throughout covering the origins of the war from its background in the First World War to its expansion to embrace the Soviet Union Japan & the United States by the end of 1941 Creating a comprehensive & analytical narrative while remaining a succinct overview of the subject this book takes a thematic approach to the complex range of events that culminated in global warfare discussing factors such as economic rivalry rearmament & domestic politics & emphasising that any explanation of the outbreak of hostilities must be global in scope Containing updated references & primary source documents alongside a glossary a chronology of key events & a Who's Who of important figures this book is an invaluable introduction for any student of this fascinating period ...

& How could such a book speak so powerfully to our present moment? The short answer is that we too live in dark times& Washington Post Hannah Arendt&s chilling analysis of the conditions that led to the Nazi & Soviet totalitarian regimes is a warning from history about the fragility of freedom exploring how propaganda scapegoats terror & political isolation all aided the slide towards total domination &A non-fiction bookend to Nineteen Eighty-Four& The New York Times& The political theorist who wrote about the Nazis & the &banality of evil& has become a surprise bestseller& Guardian ...

Flavia was born with a birthmark marring her face in the shape of a bird in flight A dyer's daughter she grows up in a secluded little house in the woods away from prying eyes Ashamed of the mark her mother forces Flavia to conceal her face behind a veil But on the night before her younger sister's wedding Flavia does something drastic something that will draw her into a much wider & stranger world than she could have imagined the convent of Santa Giuliana just outside the city walls There she meets Ghostanza a courtesan turned widow whose white-lead painted face entrances Flavia & whose beauty & cruelty are unmatched Flavia becomes her ornatrix her hairdresser & personal maid But as white-lead paint rots the flesh below it the bustling city & Santa Giuliana is rotting below the shimmer of wealth & privilege & Flavia is drawn into a world of desire & jealousy that has devastating consequences Set in sixteenth century & painted against a vivid historical Italian landscape rich in description & character & with themes & characters relevant to today it tackles issues of belonging female identity & the perception of beauty It cannot fail to move ...

Little Sarah is found in the snow an orphaned new-born baby She is taken in at Meadow Hall in South Riding Yorkshire to be trained as a scullery maid Feisty & headstrong at fourteen Sarah decides to run away Dressed as a boy she meets good-hearted Aidan & impulsive Danby forming an unlikely but happy trio When Sarah is found out Aidan knows she can not live with two young men & reluctantly takes her to the workhouse He plans to rescue Sarah just as soon as he can but something keeps Aidan from his promise Reunited as adults but now strangers Sarah holds a secret about Danby Aidan & her unborn child But can she do what is right for her baby even if it means losing the love of her life? ...

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION 2013 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST' You know you are in the hands of someone who can tell a story fantastic' ZADIE SMITH' Excavates the very meaning of life' New York Times Pak Jun Do knows he is special He knows he must be the son of the master of the orphanage not some kid dumped by his parents
- it was obvious from the way his father singled him out for beatings He knows he is special when he is picked as a spy & kidnapper for his country the glorious Democratic Republic of North Korea He knows he must find his true love Sun Moon the greatest opera star who ever lived before it's too late He knows he's not like the other prisoners in the camp He's going to get out soon Definitely
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Please note this is a region B Blu-ray & will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play A haunting & heartbreaking plot full of unimaginable scares & creeping undefined dread; Juan Antonio Bayona&s astounding debut The Orphanage stands as one of the most beautiful & moving horror movies in recent history Adopting seven-year-old sweet natured & imaginative Simon (Roger Princep) has awoken complex feelings in happily married Laura (Belen Rueda) Having been adopted herself & feeling a need for closure Laura persuades her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) to buy the dilapidated institute where she spent the earliest happiest years of her life & reopen the orphanage as a facility for disabled children As they move in to the silent stately manor where something ominous haunts the darkened hallways Simon&s behaviour becomes increasingly reserved & malevolent Carlos pins Simon&s actions as a desperate bid to get more attention from his distracted parents but Laura isn&t convinced & embarks on a desperate quest to unearth the terrible secret that lurks in the old house Taking inspiration from everything from Peter Pan to Henry James& The Turn of the Screw director Juan Antonio Bayona & producer Guillermo del Toro (The Devil&s Backbone) have produced a highly imaginative & well made film that induces fear throughout With a musical score that elicits shudders from the outset & a heart-wrenching plot that filters unimaginable horror through a fairytale frame The Orphanage is a unique intelligent spine-tingling yet heartfelt horror that is as unsettling as Guillermo del Toro&s Pans Labyrinth Making of Featurette Deleted scenes Interview with Bayona & Del Toro in Budapest UK Exclusive Q&A with Bayona at Curzon Mayfair Casting & Rehearsals Designs & Sounds & Lighting & Storyboards & more Actors Belen Rueda Fernando Cayo Roger Princep Mabel Rivera Montserrat Carulla & Edgar Vivar Director Juan Antonio Bayona Certificate 15 years & over Year 2008 Screen Widescreen 2351 Languages Spanish
- DTS-HD Master Audio Subtitles English Duration 1 hour & 45 minutes (approx)
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play A haunting & heartbreaking plot full of unimaginable scares & creeping undefined dread; Juan Antonio Bayona&s astounding debut The Orphanage stands as one of the most beautiful & moving horror movies in recent history Adopting seven-year-old sweet natured & imaginative Simon (Roger Princep) has awoken complex feelings in happily married Laura (Belen Rueda) Having been adopted herself & feeling a need for closure Laura persuades her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) to buy the dilapidated institute where she spent the earliest happiest years of her life & reopen the orphanage as a facility for disabled children As they move in to the silent stately manor where something ominous haunts the darkened hallways Simon&s behaviour becomes increasingly reserved & malevolent Carlos pins Simon&s actions as a desperate bid to get more attention from his distracted parents but Laura isn&t convinced & embarks on a desperate quest to unearth the terrible secret that lurks in the old house Taking inspiration from everything from Peter Pan to Henry James& The Turn of the Screw director Juan Antonio Bayona & producer Guillermo del Toro (The Devil&s Backbone) have produced a highly imaginative & well made film that induces fear throughout With a musical score that elicits shudders from the outset & a heart-wrenching plot that filters unimaginable horror through a fairytale frame The Orphanage is a unique intelligent spine-tingling yet heartfelt horror that is as unsettling as Guillermo del Toro&s Pans Labyrinth Actors Belen Rueda Fernando Cayo Roger Princep Mabel Rivera Montserrat Carulla Andres Gertrudix & Edgar Vivar Director Juan Antonio Bayona Certificate 15 years & over Year 2007 Screen Widescreen 2351 Anamorphic Languages Spanish Subtitles English ...