Britain has a wonderfully rich stock of period houses
- everything from medieval cottages to Georgian townhouses & Edwardian mansions.
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Primo Levis The Periodic Table" is a collection of short stories that elegantly interlace the authors experiences in Fascist Italy & later in Auschwitz with his passion for scientific knowledge & discovery. This " Penguin Modern Classics" edition of is translated by Raymond Rosenthal with an essay on Primo Levi by Philip Roth. A chemist by training Primo Levi became one of the supreme witnesses to twentieth-century atrocity. In these haunting reflections inspired by the elements of the periodic table he ranges from young love to political savagery; from the inert gas argon
- & inert relatives like the uncle who stayed in bed for twenty-two years
- to life-giving carbon. Iron honours the mountain-climbing resistance hero who put iron in Levis student soul Cerium recalls the improvised cigarette lighters which saved his life in Auschwitz while Vanadium describes an eerie post-war correspondence with the man who had been his boss there. In his essay Philip Roth reproduces a conversation with Primo Levi delving into the process of Levis authorial technique his sense of identity & distinctiveness & the relationship between science writing & survival. Primo Levi (1919-87) an Italian Jew did not come to the wide attention of the English-reading audience until the last years of his life. A survivor of the Holocaust & imprisonment in Auschwitz Levi is considered to be one of the centurys most compelling voices & " The Periodic Table" is his most famous book. Levi is the author of " Moments of Reprieve" & " If Not Now When?" also available in " Penguin Modern Classics". Philip Roth is the author of " Nemesis" & " The Plot Against America" & winner of the both the Pulitzer prize & the Man Booker International prize. If you enjoyed " The Periodic Table" you might like Levis " If Not Now When?" also available in " Penguin Modern Classics". "A book it is necessary to read". (Saul Bellow author of " Herzog"). " One of the finest writers in post-war Ital". (" The Times")."

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Here Eric Scerri looks at the trends in properties of elements that led to the construction of the periodic table & how the deeper meaning of its structure gradually became apparent with the development of atomic theory & quantum mechanics so that as Scerri puts it one science physics arguably came to colonize another chemistry although such a view is resisted by chemists. Scerri shows that quantum mechanics is absolutely central to chemistry as it underlies the behaviour of all of the elements & their compounds & therefore underpins the structure of the periodic table. Concluding with an overview of the huge variety of periodic tables that have been proposed in the print media & on the Internet he explores the debated question of whether there is an optimal periodic table & what form it might take. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable. ...

The phenomenal Sunday Times" bestseller " Periodic Tales" by Hugh Andersey-Williams packed with fascinating stories & unexpected information about the building blocks of our universe. Everything in the universe is made from them including you. Like you the elements have personalities attitudes talents shortcomings stories rich with meaning. Here youll meet iron that rains from the heavens & noble gases that light the way to vice. Youll learn how lead can tell your future while zinc may one day line your coffin. Youll discover what connects the bones in your body with the Whitehouse in Washington the glow of a streetlamp with the salt on your dinner table. Unlocking their astonishing secrets & colourful pasts " Periodic Tales" is a voyage of wonder & discovery showing that their stories are our stories & their lives are inextricable from our own. " Science writing at its best. A fascinating & beautiful literary anthology bringing them to life as personalities. If only chemistry had been like this at school. A rich compilation of delicious tales". (Matt Ridley " Prospect"). "A love letter to the chemical elements. Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories & he knows how to tell them well". (" Sunday Telegraph"). " Great fun to read & an endless fund of unlikely & improbable anecdotes". (" Financial Times"). " The history science art literature & everyday applications of all the elements from aluminium to zinc". (" The Times"). Hugh Aldersey-Williams studied natural sciences at Cambridge. He is the author of several books exploring science design & architecture & has curated exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum & the Wellcome Collection. He lives in Norfolk with his wife & son." ...

Rugby as with most other team sports is a game of technical finesse tactical boldness & refined & complex physical development. Periodization in Rugby" addresses one of the most crucial elements of the sport
- physical conditioning. Utilizing the revolutionary training techniques developed by Tudor Bompa
- the father of modern sports periodization
- this superb volume presents readers with proven training principles an overview of the fundamentals of rugby & an explanation of the physiological demands of the sport & how they impact on training. It also features short term & annual training plans with numerous drills & exercises to improve the skills of all players as well as expert tips on recovery & nutrition."


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Beck Hardin returns to his Texas hometown
- & his estranged father
- after the death of his wife leaves him with two children

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The story of Perkin Warbeck is one of the most compelling mysteries of English history. A young man suddenly emerged claiming to be Richard of York the younger of the Princes in the Tower. As such he tormented Henry VII for eight years. He tried three times to invade England & behaved like a prince. Officially however he was proclaimed to be Perkin Warbeck the son of a Flemish boatman. A diplomatic pawn he was used by the greatest European rulers of the age for their own purposes. All who dealt with him gave him the identity they wished him to have: either the Duke of York or a jumped-up lad from Flanders. It is possible that he was neither. It is also possible that by the end even he did not really know who he was. In Perkin Ann Wroe tells again a marvellous tale that is on the brink of being forgotten. She also dissects the official cover story. In doing so she delves into the secret corners of European history & produces a portrait of the late fifteenth century that is breathtaking in its detail. ...

Perkin Warbeck pretender to the English throne claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury Duke of York & Norfolk the younger of the two sons of Edward IV imprisoned in the Tower of London by Richard III & whose true fate is unknown to this day. He led two attempts to claim the crown but was captured by Henry VII & hanged at Tyburn. This book looks at who Warbeck really was how he was used by those in power in Burgundy France Italy Scotland & Ireland & the progress of the conspiracy itself. It has often been considered to be a side issue to Henry's reign but this book reveals how close the conspirators came to bringing about a fundamental change in European politics. Importantly Ian Arthurson not only sets the plot within the context of what was happening in fifteenth-century Europe but also reveals important truths about Henry's reign in Engl&. Illustrated with a wealth of contemporary portraits paintings engravings & documents The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy" will appeal to anyone with an interest in fifteenth-century history." ...

Charlie is a freshman. & while he's not the biggest geek in the school he is by no means popular. Shy introspective intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward he is a wallflower caught between trying to live his life & trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates & mixed tapes family dramas & new friends; the world of sex drugs & The Rocky Horror Picture Show when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild & poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. ...

Shy introspective intelligent beyond his years caught between trying to live his life & trying to run from it Charlie is attempting to navigate through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates & mixed tapes family dramas & new friends. The world of sex drugs & music
- when all one requires to feel infinite is that perfect song on that perfect drive. Standing on the fringes of life Charlie has a unique perspective of the world around him but there comes a time to stop being a wallflower & see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion has become a modern classic. Charlie's letters are singular & unique hilarious & devastating & through Charlie Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting story that will spirit you back to those wild & poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
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