A refreshing distillation of insights into the human condition, by one of the best-known & most popular philosophers in the UK. Thinking about life, what it means & what it holds in store does not have to be a despondent experience, but rather can be enlightening & uplifting. A life truly worth living is one that is informed & considered so a degree of philosophical insight into the inevitabilities of the human condition is inherently important & such an approach will help us to deal with real personal dilemmas. This book is an accessible, lively & thought-provoking series of linked commentaries, based on A. C. Grayling`s ` The Last Word` column in the GUARDIAN. Its aim is not to persuade readers to accept one particular philosophical point of view or theory, but to help us consider the wonderful range of insights which can be drawn from an immeasurably rich history of philosophical thought. Concepts covered include courage, love, betrayal, ambition, cruelty, wisdom, passion, beauty & death. This will be a wonderfully stimulating read & act as an invaluable guide as to what is truly important in living life, whether facing success, failure, justice, wrong, love, loss or any of the other profound experience life throws out. ...

Did you know that people in Indonesia have a word that means to take off your clothes in order to dance? Or how many words the Albanians have for eyebrows & moustaches? Or the Dutch word for skimming stones is plimpplamppletteren? Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 154 languages, this intriguing book is arranged by theme so you can compare attitudes all over the world to such subjects as gastronomy, romance, the human body, recreation & the battle of the sexes. Here you can find not only those words for which there is no direct counterpart in English (such as the Japanese age-otori which means looking less attractive after a haircut), but also a frank discussion of exactly how many ' Eskimo' terms there are for snow, & a vast array of information exploring the wonderful & often downright strange world of words. Also reveals the meaning of Tingo... ...

This volume tells the story of how science, revolutionary politics, & the dream of a new economy converged to produce both the metric system & the first struggle over globalization. Amidst the scientific fervour of the Revolution, two French scientists, Delambre & Mechain, were sent out on an expedition to measure the shape of the world & thereby establish the metre (which was to be one ten-millionth the distance from pole to equator). Their hope was that people would use the globe as the basis of measure rather than an arbitrary system meted out by the monarchs. As one scientist went north along the French meridian & the other south, their experiences diverged just as radically. After seven years, they received a hero's welcome upon their return to Paris. Mechain, however, was obsessed over a minute error in his calculations that he'd discovered & concealed, & which eventually drove him to his grave. His death forced his colleague Delambre to choose between loyalty to his friend & his science. ...

John Randel Jr. (1787
- 1865) was an eccentric & flamboyant surveyor renowned for his inventiveness as well as his bombast & irascibility.
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John Randel Jr. (1787
- 1865) was an eccentric & flamboyant surveyor renowned for his inventiveness as well as his bombast & irascibility.
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Since his boyhood in Qadhafi's Libya, Neil Mac Farquhar has developed a counterintuitive sense that the Middle East, despite all the bloodshed in its recent history, is a place of warmth, humanity, & generous eccentricity. In this book, he introduces a cross-section of unsung, dynamic men & women pioneering political & social change. There is the Kuwaiti sex therapist in a leather suit with matching red headscarf, & the Syrian engineer advocating a less political interpretation of the Koran. Mac Farquhar interacts with Arabs & Iranians in their every day lives, removed from the violence we see constantly, yet wrestling with the region's future. These are people who realise their region is out of step with the world & are determined to do something about it-on their own terms. ...

Having founded the bank that became the most powerful in Europe in the fifteenth century, the Medici gained political power in Florence, raising the city to a peak of cultural achievement & becoming its hereditary dukes. Among their number were no fewer than three popes & a powerful & influential queen of France. Their patronage brought about an explosion of Florentine art & architecture. Michelangelo, Donatello, Fra Angelico & Leonardo are among the artists with whom they were associated. Thus runs the `received view` of the Medici. Mary Hollingsworth argues that the idea that they were wise rulers & enlightened fathers of the Renaissance is a fiction that has acquired the status of historical fact. In truth, the Medici were as devious & immoral as the Borgias
- tyrants loathed in the city they illegally made their own & which they beggared in their lust for power.
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A dazzling history of the modest family which rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe, The Medici is a remarkably modern story of power, money & ambition. Against the background of an age which saw the rebirth of ancient & classical learning
- of humanism which penetrated & explored the arts & sciences & the `dark` knowledge of alchemy, astrology, & numerology
- Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise & fall of the Medici family in Florence, as well as the Italian Renaissance which they did so much to sponsor & encourage. Interwoven into the narrative are the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo & Donatello, as well as scientists like Galileo & Pico della Mirandola, both of whom clashed with the religious authorities. In this enthralling study, Paul Strathern also follows the fortunes of those members of the Medici family who achieved success away from Florence, including the two Medici popes & Catherine de` Medicis who became Queen of France & played a major role in that country through three turbulent reigns. Vivid & accessible, the book ends with the gloriously decadent decline of the Medici family in Florence as they strove to be recognised as European Princes.

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How did people travel in the middle ages? Evidence shows that despite all the likely deterrents
- danger from man & beast, uncertainty
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This lyrical adventure sweeps us through time & across Europe & the Middle East, charting the lands & events of the period known as the Middle Ages. Artworks, maps, & fine photography illuminate the key events of every century, beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476 & moving forward to A.D. 1500
- the beginning of the age of discovery. Vibrant text from author John M. Thompson captures the drama & intrigue of the era, exploring wars, migrations, occupations, & inventions. Three hundred illustrations
- antique paintings, magnificent portraits, illuminated manuscripts, & historical documents such as ” Magna Carta” & the ” Domesday Book”
- lend rich immediacy. More than 60 maps, among them specially commissioned illustrated presentations & a lavishly drawn crusader map from A.D. 1170, chart important routes & events including the spread of Christianity & Islam. Twelve richly illustrated spreads chronicle the amusements, clothing, feasts, science, books, animals, & other aspects of daily life in the Middle Ages. Voices of the medieval world come alive through"ations from literature, letters, & journals that have survived the passage of time. Sidebars in every chapter examine important beliefs, arts & letters, architecture, & innovations. Biographical features introduce fascinating women & men, revealing the stories behind famous names like King Arthur, whose legend is noted in medieval Welsh literature. Joan of Arc, the teenage French peasant whose infamous trial is documented word for chilling word. Charlemagne, 8th-century ruler of an empire that encompassed Western & Central Europe. Saladin, sultan of the Arab world & enemy of the crusaders, yet respected by them for his high standards of chivalry. & his foe, Richard the Lionhearted, iconic king of England who spent most of his life elsewhere. In a unique feature that helps readers trace the march of time & progress, a world-class city is highlighted to exemplify the character & developments of each century. These key urban areas include London, Paris, Barcelona, Constantinople, & Damascus. Their histories are traced on fascinating time lines that also tie in global happenings during the century, for a rich overview of world events & progress. Painstakingly designed for accuracy & ease of use, ” The Medieval World” is a fine reference for libraries, schools, families, & all who find fascination in this pivotal yet mysterious era of world history.


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