Writing with his usual grace & fluency Jonathan Sacks moves beyond the tired arguments of militant atheists such as Dawkins & Hitchens to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture & far from being dismissed as redundant must be allowed to temper & develop scientific understanding in order for us to be fully human. Ranging around the world to draw comparisons from different cultures & delving deep into the history of language & of western civilisation Jonathan Sacks shows how the predominance of science-oriented thinking is embedded deeply even in our religious understanding & calls on us to recognise the centrality of relationship to true religion & thus to see how this core value of relationship is essential if we are to avoid the natural tendency for science to rule our lives rather than fulfilling its promise to set us free. ...

Beginning with the death of Socrates in 399 BC & following the story through the centuries to recent figures such as Bertrand Russell & Wittgenstein Bryan Magee's conversations with fifteen contemporary writers & philosophers provide an accessible & exciting account of Western philosophy & its greatest thinkers. The contributors include A. J. Ayer Bernard Williams Martha Nussbaum Peter Singer & John Searle so that the book is not only an introduction to the philosophers of the past but gives an invaluable insight into the view & personalities of some of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. ...

When we look at everyday life we realize that it is far from easy. Indeed we are often confronted with the contrary: complicated instead of simple; demanding instead of effortless. As photographers we face a similar situation with regard to our chosen hobby. The camera & computer are wonderful technical instruments but their growing complexity can sometimes take away from the joy we find when we engage in creative work. In this book author Bernd Daub shows us that simplicity works. He describes how with simple camera techniques traditional film & some imagination we can create ambitious artwork. This book teaches us how to focus our attention on the motivation behind our chosen image & develop a strong image impact without the need for high-tech equipment & flawless exposures. Learn about a variety of reasonably priced low-tech cameras-such as the Holga Diana & Blackbird-as well as single-use cameras the good old Agfa-Box & the pinhole camera. For price-conscious beginners & intermediate photographers with high-quality equipment this book provides ideas for alternative techniques without large investments. You'll discover many new possibilities as you foster your creativity. ...

Here is a lively history of modern physics as seen through the lives of thirty men & women from the pantheon of physics. William H. Cropper vividly portrays the life & accomplishments of such giants as Galileo & Isaac Newton Marie Curie & Ernest Rutherford & Albert Einstein right up to contemporary figures such as Richard Feynman Murray Gell-Mann & Stephen Hawking. We meet scientists all geniuses who could be gregarious aloof unpretentious friendly dogged imperious generous to colleagues or contentious rivals. Cropper also offers vivid portraits of their great moments of discovery their bitter feuds their relations with family & friends their religious beliefs & education. In addition since scientists in a particular field often inspire those who follow Cropper has grouped these biographies by discipline mechanics thermodynamics particle physics & so on each section beginning with a historical overview. Our understanding of the physical world has increased dramatically in the last four centuries starting with Galileo & his telescope & stretching to Stephen Hawking's work on black holes & cosmology. With Great Physicists" readers can retrace the footsteps of the men & women who led the way." ...

Containing 44 piano solos this bumper collection offers a great selection of classical favourites from choral works concertos ballets operas & symphonies. All music is arranged for the intermediate level pianist. The selection

Includes:: Adagio For Strings" " The Blue Bird" " Cello Concerto" " Pie Jesu (Faure)" " Piano" " Concerto No.1 (Chopin)" & 39 more favourites! The songs include: Adagio For Strings" by Barber; " The Can-Can" by Offenbach; " Ave Maria" by Schubert; " Fur Elise" by Beethoven; " Grand March (from Aida)" by Verdi; " Swan Lake" (theme) by Tchaikovsky; " Clair de Lune" by Debussy; " Allegro" (from Water Music) by Handel; & " Spring Song" by Mendelssohn. The piano is the most popular instruments adults learn
- there are over 2 million in the UK alone."


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The bubonic plague epidemic which struck England in 1665-6 was responsible for the deaths of almost a third of London's population. Its sheer scale was overwhelming & it was well-recorded featuring in the works of Pepys & Defoe & described in terrible detail in the contemporary Bills of Mortality. Often remembered because of its devastating impact on London the plague struck other urban communities as well carrying off half the population of Colchester & causing high mortality in cities such as Norwich & Cambridge. Nor were country villages spared with Eyam in Derbyshire
- where the inhabitants sealed themselves off to prevent the spread of the disease & a third of the inhabitants died
- being the most famous. Stephen Porter describes the disease & how people at the time thought it was caused. He gives details of the treatments available (such as they were) & evokes its impact on the country. We will probably never know the reasons for the disappearance of the bubonic plague from England after 1665. What is clear is the fascination the subject still holds.

Includes:: 61 illustrations



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Naxos Audio Books begins its new series of Great Poets"
- represented by their most popular poems on one CD
- with William Blake

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A new edition of this classic search sure to keep children entertained for hours on end. Each beautifully illustrated scene including giant insects in the swamps the creatures of the ocean & the dinosaurs on the plains features a brain-teasing picture puzzle. It is also packed with fascinating geographical facts presented in short easy-to-read captions. ...

Book number 4 in the awesome Pick Your Path adventure" series: " Club Penguin The Great Puffle Switch". A magical event has occurred on Club Penguin: You & your pet puffle have switched bodies! See life through the eyes of a puffle as you go on amazing adventures along with some new puffle friends. In the end will you find a way to switch back to a penguin or will you become a puffle forever? The choice is yours! Disney Club Penguin is the web's biggest online community for children where they can create their own Penguin play mini-games collect items & more! The series of accompanying " Club Penguin Pick Your Path" books

Includes:: " Stowaway! Adventures at Sea" " The Inventor's Apprentice" " Star Reporter" & " Dancing with Cadence"."

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Frensic & Futtle is a small & successful literary agency. But following a successful court case by a woman who claimed to have been libeled by one of their authors the agency rapidly loses business. One day a manuscript for a book called Pause O Men for the Virgin arrives at the agency together with a note from the authors solicitor saying that the author wishes to remain anonymous & that the agency has carte blanche on how it deals with the book. The book turns out to deal with the love affair between an 80-year old woman & a 17-year old youth. The populist American publisher Hutchmeyer agrees to sign a deal to publish the book in the United States for $2 million providing the author carries out a promotional tour of the country. Sonia & Frensic decide to use aspiring but unpublished author Peter Piper to stand in for the anonymous author. But when Piper receives a proof copy of Pause from the publisher by mistake it takes a certain amount of persuasion & arm-twisting from Sonia Futtle to convince Piper to travel to America. ...