From the author of Guns Germs & Steel" Jared Diamonds " Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive" is a visionary study of the mysterious downfall of past civilizations. Now in a revised edition with a new afterword Jared Diamonds " Collapse" uncovers the secret behind why some societies flourish while others founder
- & what this means for our future. What happened to the people who made the forlorn long-abandoned statues of Easter Island? What happened to the architects of the crumbling Maya pyramids? Will we go the same way our skyscrapers one day standing derelict & overgrown like the temples at Angkor Wat? Bringing together new evidence from a startling range of sources & piecing together the myriad influences from climate to culture that make societies self-destruct Jared Diamonds " Collapse" also shows how
- unlike our ancestors
- we can benefit from our knowledge of the past & learn to be survivors. "A grand sweep from a master storyteller of the human race". (" Daily Mail"). " Riveting superb terrifying". (" Observer"). " Gripping...the book fulfils its huge ambition & Diamond is the only man who could have written it". (" Economist"). " This book shines like all Diamonds work". (" Sunday Times"). Jared Diamond (b. 1937) is Professor of Geography at the University of California Los Angeles. Until recently he was Professor of Physiology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the widely acclaimed " Guns Germs & Steel: the Fates of Human Societies" which also is the winner of Britains 1998 Rhone-Poulenc Science Book Prize."


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Any explanation of political collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies but for the members of all complex societies in both the present & future. Dr Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse & reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new & far-reaching theory that accounts for collapse among diverse kinds of societies evaluating his model & clarifying the processes of disintegration by detailed studies of the Roman Mayan & Chacoan collapses. ...

Collar to Cleavage is a compelling read a book that invites the reader to share a series of interweaving life journeys. From a childhood in Wales to an adulthood of international proportions; from one country to another
- visiting putting down roots some in exotic far-flung places some in places where you would not want to live by choice. Then to a personal journey which explores the motives & struggles of the human heart. It deals with life transitions both spiritual & emotional; it challenges readers to examine how we process not only the joys but the difficulties & surprises that life has in store. This humorous & autobiographical account will resonate with everyone in some way. Readers are invited to reflect on their own issues in a wonderfully charming & light-hearted way & are introduced to larger-than-life characters from Swansea to Sumatra from enigmatic Japan to a chicken factory in New Zeal&. The book gives an intimate insight into the cultures of the Middle & Far East especially the role of women. The authors zest for life in all its fullness is infectious. She deals with the past
- the aching loneliness of a marriage her life as a corporate wife the shock of a cross-cultural adoption & exploring a life as a priest; we find that in her honesty we are able to understand ourselves better. Change is inevitable life changes happen. The book is a tale of her life but it may also be used as the basis for deeper thoughts & discussions on the appropriate sections. Collar to Cleavage will appeal mainly to female readers of autobiographies.

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How does one identify the antiques of tomorrow in the contemporary jewelry market those pieces that appeal to modern taste but also have the stamp of timeless collectible? Joanna Hardys selection of truly imaginative makers & pieces

Includes:: works to suit all tastes from the more traditional to the adventurous providing authoritative answers & expert direction in this hugely exciting & fast-developing market. In-depth profiles of 40 established & emerging contemporary artists from across Europe & the United States is complimented by useful background information about materials & techniques & a guide on how to take care of precious pieces. This title

Features: a concise reference section with biographical information for the artists; contact info for important galleries museums & art dealers; fairs events & schools; & a price guide to cover all collecting budgets will help the reader decide in which pieces to invest when confronted with such vast choice. This book is part of the Collect Contemporary" series which offers expert advice by leading specialists in the field who have many years experience in the auction market & a vast knowledge of the subject."



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When recession takes hold people traditionally think about their possessions & what they can sell. This time round anyone can turn things of value into cash partly thanks to e Bay & this manual about 20th century collectables will provide all the guidance needed. Written with verve by TVs Jamie Breese this innovative manual covers everything from the obvious to the obscure whether Action Man or action comics Marilyn Monroe or Madonna Hornby or horse brasses
- a truly remarkable range of modern collectables is covered.
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Dorothy Parker more than any of her contemporaries captured the spirit of her age in her writing. The decadent 1920S & 1930s in New York were a time of great experiment & daring for women. For the rich life seemed a continual party but the excesses took their emotional toll. With a biting wit & perceptive insight Dorothy Parker examines the social mores of her day & exposes the darkness beneath the dazzle. Her own life exemplified this duality for a while she was one of the most talked-about women of her day she was also known as a masochist whose passion for unhappiness knew no bounds". As philosopher Irwin Edman said she was "a Sappho who could combine a heartbreak with a wisecrack". Her dissection of the jazz age in poetry & prose is collected in this volume along with articles & reviews." ...

M.R. James is probably the finest ghost-story writer England has ever produced. These tales are not only classics of their genre but are also superb examples of beautifully-paced understatement convincing background & chilling terror. As well as the preface there is a fascinating tail-piece by M.R. James ' Stories I Have Tried To Write' which accompanies these thirty tales. Among them are ' Casting the Runes' ' Oh Whistle & I'll come to you My Lad' ' The Tractate
- h' ' The Ash Tree' & ' Canon Alberic's Scrapbook'. ' There are some authors one wishes one had never read in order to have the joy of reading them for the first time. For me M.R. James is one of these'. Ruth Rendell
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Considered by many to be the most terrifying writer in English M. R. James is an unlikely producer of ghost-stories. An eminent scholar who spent his entire adult life in the academic surroundings of Eton & Cambridge his classic supernatural tales have lost none of their power to unsettle & disturb. They draw on the terrors of the everyday in which documents & objects unleash terrible forces often in closed rooms & night-time settings where imagination runs riot. Lonely country houses remote inns ancient churches or the manuscript collections of great libraries provide settings for unbearable menace from creatures seeking retribution & harm. Stories that were first read aloud in Jamess study late on Christmas Eve have the power to haunt us still. This book presents all of Jamess published ghost stories including the unforgettable Oh Whistle & Ill Come to You My Lad & Casting the Runes & an appendix of Jamess writings on the ghost story. Darryl Joness introduction & notes provide a fascinating insight into Jamess background & his mastery of the genre he made his own. ...

This revised collection gathers together Charles Causleys poetry spanning a period of more than fifty years &

Includes::

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This volume contains all the major lyric poems reflecting the diverse moods & phases of this important & inspiring poet from He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" & " The Lake Isle of Innisfree" to " Sailing to Byzantium."" ...