The author is the winner of the Forward Poetry Prize & the Whitbread Poetry Award 1993. In her fourth collection Carol Ann Duffy dramatizes scenes from childhood adolescence & adulthood finding moments of grace or consolation in memory love & language amid the complexities of life. These are powerful poems of loss betrayal & desire. ...

The course of the Meander is so famously indirect that the rivers name has come to signify digression
- an invitation Jeremy Seal
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There is a tradition in Jiggy's hometown
- the night before a boy starts school he goes to the Piddle Pool near the old quarry
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This is the first in a series of books commissioned in consultation with John Sentamu. It can be described as The Archbishop of Yorks Advent book". Its theme is overtly an Advent one yet subsequent books will range over other biblical & seasonal topics. Paula Gooder provides a profoundly biblical guide to the season of Advent & we explore its central theme of waiting (something we are not good at in our modern culture) in the company of the biblical characters who feature prominently in the lectionary readings for the season: Abraham & Sarah who waited for a child Isaiah & the prophets who waited for judgement & redemption John the Baptist whose role was to wait in the wilderness until the prophecies he foretold were realised Mary whose waiting began in pregnancy & continued as she stood at the foot of the cross. Arranged for daily reading this offers an exquisite meditation on the spirituality of waiting
- the active doing of nothing
- as a way of enhancing our lives & bringing us closer to God."

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We are so familiar with the features of our homes
- the rooms fixtures & myriad little decorative details
- that we have forgotten

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In previous books respected New York pastor & bestselling author Timothy Keller has looked at such diverse & topical subjects as the existence of God our need to do justice the meaning of Jesus life & the human temptation to make idols
- all through the twin lenses of a biblical framework & an engagement with contemporary culture. In this new book co-authored with his wife Kathy he turns his attention to that most complex of matters: our need for love & its expression in marriage. Beginning with the biblical narrative & its pictures of marriage that span the original ideal to the broken to the redemptive he looks at themes of friendship & commitment; the completion of men & women in each other; singleness sex & divorce; & ministry & discipleship within the context of marriage. This is a profound & engaging work that will challenge & inspire people in all stages of life
- single newlywed & married.

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From the backstreets of Buenos Aires to Parisian high society this is the extraordinary story of the dance that captivated the world
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' The unconsidered life is not worth living' ' Socrates. 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 that 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 food the human body & 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. Oh & tingo means 'to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend one at a time by asking to borrow them'. ...

This second volume based on the excavations of the Viking town Kaupang 2000-2003 presents find types used in economic transactions -- coins hacksilver ingots weights & balances. Changes in type & volume of economic transactions at Kaupang & in Scandinavia are discussed & the economic mentality of Viking crafts- & tradesmen is explored. Earlier the study of Viking silver currency was based mainly on hoards containing coins & hacksilver. In this volume the combined study of the find types mentioned as well as the sophisticated chronology of settlements finds from sites like Kaupang gives a completely new insight into economy & exchange. In the early 9th century silver & goods seem to have come to Kaupang mainly from the Carolingian world. Silver weighed with locally produced lead weights was used as currency on a limited scale. The old ore unit was easily convertible to Carolingian units. After the mid-9th century this early system was altered. The increased availability of silver caused by the import of Islamic coins as well as the introduction in most of Scandinavia in the 860s/870s of standardised weights of probable Islamic origin paved the way from then on for an increasing use of silver as payment. These studies demonstrate that sites like Kaupang led the way in economic development in Scandinavia. The urban environment promoted an economic mentality which contributed significantly to the fundamental transformation of Scandinavian culture & society which culminated in the regions integration in Christian Europe in the High Middle Ages. ...