In this landmark work NEW YORKER columnist James Surowiecki explores a seemingly counter-intuitive idea that has profound implications. Decisions taken by a large group even if the individuals within the group arent smart are always better than decisions made by small numbers of experts. This seemingly simply notion has endless & major ramifications for how businesses operate how knowledge is advanced how economies are (or should be) organised & how nation-states fare. With great erudition Surowiecki ranges across the disciplines of psychology economics statistics & history to show just how this principle operates in the real world. Along the way Surowiecki asks a number of intriguing questions about a subject few of us actually understand
- economics. What are prices? How does money work? Why do we have corporations? Does advertising work? His answers rendered in a delightfully clear prose demystify daunting prospects. As Surowiecki writes: The hero of this book is in a curious sense an idea a hero whose story ends up shedding dramatic new light on the landscapes of business politics & society.
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We all know that humanity's greatest thinkers were children once. What you may not know is that some of humanity's greatest thinkers are children now. This playful little book collects amusing insightful & endearing pearls of wisdom from some of the most unlikely little geniuses ever to open their mouths. ...

More than any other bodybuilding writer or authority Mike Mentzer single-handedly changed the way bodybuilders the world over have looked at exercise. A logical (and necessary) companion volume to Mentzers last book (High Intensity Training The Mike Mentzer Way" which was also co-authored by Little) " The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer" goes much further. Whereas the former book revealed the fundamentals of Mentzers revolutionary " Heavy Duty" training system the latter presents not only Mentzers final & most recent discoveries & innovations but also never-before-released "advanced" training techniques that were known only to Mentzers inner circle & personal clients. Illustrated with the most motivational photographs ever taken of Mentzer (in the gym posing & at work) as well as a gallery of his greatest inspirational physique shots " The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer" is THE definitive book on the exacting science of building muscle
- fast. Some of the materials revealed for the first time within the pages of this book are: how excessive training is slowing down your progress; the importance of working to the "point of failure"; Mentzers pioneering use of the early Nautilus machines: a complete " Heavy Duty" seminar; Mike Mentzers " Most Productive" Routine; advanced " Heavy Duty" training techniques; a workout of two sets performed once a week
- & why Mentzer thought it worked "like magic" compared to any other bodybuilding program; & how to push past mental & physical plateaus. in addition the Mentzer estate has made available to the author never-before-released written audio & video materials (including Mentzers research into a revolutionary workout that consists of but two sets performed once every seven days that caused one client to actually "double" his bodyweight in one year!) from the Mike Mentzer archives which when combined with Littles unique personal history with Mentzer & full understanding of his training methods have resulted in startling new insights & novel applications of Mentzers revolutionary " Heavy Duty" training method."

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Adriana Trigiani's two remarkable grandmothers Lucia & Viola lived through the 20th century from beginning to end as working women who juggled careers & motherhood. From the factory line to the family table the two of them
- the very definition of modern women
- cut a path for their granddaughter by demonstrating courage & skill in their fearless approach to life love & overcoming obstacles. Trigiani visits the past to seek answers to the essential questions that define the challenges women face today: how we hold on to the values that make life rich & beautiful how we can take risks & reap the rewards how to stand resilient in the face of tragedy. ' Be bold; 'be direct'; 'be different'!

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Psychopath. No sooner is the word out than images of murderers rapists suicide bombers & gangsters flash across our minds. But unlike their box-office counterparts not all psychopaths are violent or even criminal. Far from it. In fact they have a lot of good things going for them. Psychopaths are fearless confident charismatic ruthless & focused
- qualities tailor-made for success in twenty-first century society. In this groundbreaking adventure into the world of psychopaths renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a 'scale of madness' along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning & neuroscience he shows that there is a fine line separating a brilliant surgeon & a serial killer illustrating the spectrum of psychopathy with some insightful & startling case studies. The Wisdom of Psychopaths" is an intellectual rollercoaster ride that combines original scientific research with bold on-the-ground reporting from secret monasteries Special Forces training camps & rarefied psychopath wings of maximum-security hospitals. Provocative engaging & surprising at every turn " The Wisdom of Psychopaths" reveals a shocking truth: beneath the hype & the popular characterisation psychopaths have something to teach us."
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For over 2000 years Buddhist psychology has offered invaluable insights into the nature of the heart & mind & transformed the way many people around the world handle lifes challenges. But the ancient texts on which these remarkable teachings are based can be difficult to penetrate for modern seekers. Now drawing on his experience as a monk trained in Thailand Burma & India as well as his expert psychology practice Jack Kornfield provides an accessible definitive guide to Buddhism for Buddhists & non-Buddhists alike. This important new work is in the tradition of his classic works A Path with Heart & After the Ecstasy the Laundry offering practical tools to coping with modern life & dealing with emotions such as fear anger & shame. Kornfield also shares the illuminating stories of his students & fellow practitioners as well as his own journey towards enlightenment including his recovery from a violence-filled childhood. Here is a rare treasure that will give readers greater access to the secret beauty within
- & without.
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Sequel to the extraordinary THE NAME OF THE WIND THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is the second instalment of this superb fantasy trilogy ...

Reissue of Philippa Gregory's disturbing novel of passion & betrayal in Tudor Engl&. A haunting story of a woman's desire in a time of turbulence. Alys joins the nunnery to escape hardship & poverty but finds herself thrown back into the outside world when Henry VIII's wreckers destroy her sanctuary. With nothing to support her but her looks her magic & her own instinctive cunning Alys has to tread a perilous path between the faith of her childhood & her own female power. When she falls in love with Hugo the feudal lord & another woman's husband she dips into witchcraft to defeat her rival & to win her lover but finds -- as her cynical old foster-mother had advised -- that magic makes a poor servant but a dominant master. Since heresy against the new church means the stake & witchcraft the rope Alys's danger is mortal. A woman's powers are no longer safe to use! ...

This charming guide to the world of the English country house reveals all the essential hints & tips for living in & running a great house whether you were lord lady maid or cook. By esteemed author Ruth Binney & with a Foreword by Julian Fellowes creator of the much-loved Downton Abbey. Discover the rules of etiquette & manners that existed both upstairs & downstairs the daily routines of servants bygone housekeeping maxims for everyone from the scullery maid to the gardener & learn how to prepare for a grand ball. The intricate way in which the country house worked is reflected in the six chapters of this book beginning with Keeping House & progressing to The Daily Routine & The Country House Kitchen. Since correct behaviour was so important to all activities of the house A Matter of Manners addresses the essentials of etiquette a theme that also extends into Leisure Entertainment & Sport. Finally Garden & Grounds focuses on everything from the cultivation of exotic fruit for the table to brewing & the care of horses & other animals. This is the world that Ruth Binney has brought so wonderfully to life in her book (Julian Fellowes creator of Downton Abbey) With beautiful line drawings Wise Words & Country House Ways will be fascinating for anyone who has wondered what it would be like to be served or in service in a grand country house. ...

With the most colourful poetic & picturesque country sayings & phrases of all the books in this bestselling series Wise Words & Country Ways Weather Lore" is a nostalgic delight that satisfies our fascination for the now lost wisdom of our ancestors & indulges our obsession with the weather whilst reminding us how our generation has lost touch with the rhythms of the natural world. Probably the best known country saying of them all is red sky at night shepherds delight. " Wise Words & Country Ways Weather Lore" presents us with dozens more similar but largely now forgotten words of wisdom that are imbued with a centuries-old understanding of the patterns of British weather seasonal changes & the behaviour of plants & animals around us. It has highly relevant content for an age where we all feel we have lost touch with the patterns of nature." ...