In this lavishly illustrated volume the history & social context of opera is explored by a group of leading British & American scholars under the editorship of Roger Parker. The core of the book is a historical survey of opera from its beginnings in Florence four hundred years ago up to opera in the 1990s. The greatest coverage is given to the nineteenth century the time during which most of the operas performed today were composed. There are also chapters on the history of staging on opera singers on opera as a social occasion through the ages & a chronology. Although all major composers of opera are mentioned & their works discussed the various chapters concentrate less on simple historical narrative & more on the complex development of opera especially on its relationship with the other arts & its place within the broader world of culture & politics. The numerous illustrations -- nearly three hundred some thirty of which are in colour -- serve the vital purpose of underlining the richly visual nature of opera: the manner in which it communicates so vividly through staging & costume & the spectacular way in which it often reflects the cultural concerns of the age. Rather than simply illustrating the text the pictures work as a kind of parallel history supplementing & enriching the verbal narrative. The contributors are all experts in their chosen areas but all of them have remained alive to the basic attraction of opera: its extravagant appeal to both the senses & the intellect & its seemingly inexhaustible power to move & astonish us. ...

Authoritative & wide-ranging this absorbing account of the history of theatre draws on the latest scholarly research to describe & celebrate theatres greatest achievemenst over 4 500 years from festival performances in ancient Egypt to international multicultural theatre in the late twentieth century. Written by a team of distinguished authors & illustrated throughout this is an essential source of reference for students teachers theatre professionals & the theatre-goer alike. ...

Have you ever wondered...* What the Earth looks like from space? * How many continents there are? * Where Mount Everest is? Find out in your very first atlas! The Oxford International First Atlas is a stimulating first atlas for young children. It is completely up-to-date with accurate easy-to-read & colourful mapping presented in an accessible visual layout based on research into how young children use maps. It introduces young learners to maps & develops early atlas skills encouraging them to talk about local & distant places & to find key places on maps. It
Includes:: * An introduction to the globe & places around the world * stunning images of the Earth from space * Clear & colourful maps of the world & all the continents * Popular themes such as world animals & holidays * Fascinating facts about places & people. The Oxford International First Atlas is also accompanied by the Activity Book for independent work to develop map literacy skills.
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This is the reissued Oxford Italian Mini Dictionary
- now in an attractive new format. This small dictionary offers the most accurate
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This handy grammar provides clear & simple explanations of todays written & spoken Japanese. Comprehensive & easy to use with coverage of all the key points of Japanese grammar it is the ideal reference tool for beginner & intermediate students whether at school college or learning on their own. It is also an excellent support book to Oxfords Take Off In Japanese audio pack or to any language learning course. Thousands of examples in an instantly accessible layout show how the language works. The verb tables are clear & easy-to-use & all grammatical terms are explained in a glossary. ...

A fresh new look for the Oxford Junior Dictionary which features thousands of words & phrases in alphabetical order in a clear & accessible design. Each entry contains simple easy-to-read numbered meanings word classes & age-appropriate example sentences. These are taken from well-known children's authors such as Dick King-Smith Jacqueline Wilson & Roald Dahl. They show the words actually in use to reinforce meaning & inspire children to use language more effectively making them more independent in their reading & writing. Tinted panels provide extra language information on overused words words belonging to the same family & key language topics (such as connectives or apostrophes). This is powered by the Oxford Children's Corpus a unique electronic database of millions of words of writing for children. Extra material carefully levelled for this age

Includes:: information on spelling success punctuation simple grammar key overused words (with alternatives) as well as word origins prefixes & suffixes. Navigation is easy with the guidewords & the full alphabet on every page with a dark blue tab on the letter of the page. For free additional word games puzzles & activities go online to the www.oxforddictionaries.com/schools website.

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This new 2011 edition of the Oxford Junior Illustrated Dictionary features over 4 000 entries in alphabetical order new illustrations & photographs in a contemporary & easy-to-use design. Entries are simple & clear & include numbered meanings word classes inflections & example sentences. Easy to find design with the full alphabet on every page & coloured tabs dividing the alphabet into quartiles the letter of the page is highlighted & guide words show the words starting & finishing each page. Children quickly learn how to find their way around & build their alphabetical reference skills. What's more there are linked fun word activities for school & home on the www.oxforddictionaries.com/schools website. ...

This new 2011 edition of the Oxford Junior Illustrated Dictionary features over 4 000 entries in alphabetical order new illustrations & photographs in a contemporary & easy-to-use design. Entries are simple & clear & include numbered meanings word classes inflections & example sentences. Easy to find design with the full alphabet on every page & coloured tabs dividing the alphabet into quartiles the letter of the page is highlighted & guide words show the words starting & finishing each page. Children quickly learn how to find their way around & build their alphabetical reference skills. What's more there are linked fun word activities for school & home on the www.oxforddictionaries.com/schools website. ...

This new 2012 edition of the Oxford Junior Illustrated Thesaurus features thousands of synonyms with new illustrations & photographs in a contemporary & easy-to-use design. Entries are simple & clear & include example sentences to show the words in context. It is powered by the Oxford Children's Corpus a unique electronic database of millions of words of writing for children. Writing tips on choosing the right word character & setting vocabulary & alternatives to words like 'nice' & 'good' are given to support young writers. Getting around the thesaurus is easy with the alphabet on every page & coloured tabs highlighting the letter of the page. The Top 10 Tips for Writing Stories at the back are excellent. It is the ideal companion to the Oxford Junior Illustrated Dictionary. What's more you can go online for fun word activities for school & home on the www.oxforddictionaries.com/schools website. ...

This new 2012 edition of the Oxford Junior Illustrated Thesaurus features thousands of synonyms with new illustrations & photographs in a contemporary & easy-to-use design. Entries are simple & clear & include example sentences to show the words in context. It is powered by the Oxford Children's Corpus a unique electronic database of millions of words of writing for children. Writing tips on choosing the right word character & setting vocabulary & alternatives to words like 'nice' & 'good' are given to support young writers. Getting around the thesaurus is easy with the alphabet on every page & coloured tabs highlighting the letter of the page. The Top 10 Tips for Writing Stories at the back are excellent. It is the ideal companion to the Oxford Junior Illustrated Dictionary. What's more you can go online for fun word activities for school & home on the www.oxforddictionaries.com/schools website. ...