Knowing the rules is as easy as ABC.Writing an academic paper or business document need not be a daunting task. The Pocket Idiot’s Guide® to Grammar and Punctuation provides the basics rules of grammar and punctuation, along with the examples readers need to make points clearly and quickly.• Straightforward, no-frills rules of grammar and punctuation with clever, interesting examples that clarify points without complicating them.• E...

Vampires are the hottest topic in popular culture today. From the now classic novels of Anne Rice, to the mega-selling series by Stephanie Meyer to the hit HBO series True Blood based on the bestselling novels of Charlaine Harris, the undead are certainly not dead in terms of books sales.Now, those curious about the history and lore of these creatures can get up to speed in the refreshed edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Vampires. It provides a detailed ex...

You’re no idiot, of course. You know Eastern philosophy encompasses many countries and concepts, but when it comes to breaking down the basics—to discuss with others or for your own enlightenment—you can’t tell Confucius from Krishna.Don’t nix nirvana just yet! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Eastern Philosophy is an extensive, reader-friendly guide that maps out the terrain along the various paths of knowledge. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get:• A ...

A newly visual approach, this updated edition will include infographics, photos, and pull quotes to help reinforce learning of the subject of philosophy. Beginning with the pre-Socratics and Eastern philosophers, all of the major schools of thought are covered. Content includes religious philosophy, Renaissance humanism, enlightenment philosophers, idealism, existentialism, post-structuralism and post-modernism, and more.

Socrates' admonition that "the unexamined life is not worth living" still resonates with many people, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy is a great introduction to that mental exercise. Jay Stevenson skillfully covers the subject both historically and topically and brings the reader all the way up to the present, with insights into 21st-century philosophical thought.In this audiobook, listeners will find a fully comprehensive guide to the essential philosophers and their ...

This all-in-one reference is a quick and easy way for book, magazine, online, academic, and business writers to look up sticky punctuation questions for all styles including AP (Associated Press), MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago Manual of Style.Punctuate with Confidence—No Matter the StyleConfused about punctuation? There’s a reason. Everywhere you turn, publications seem to follow different rules on ...

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by the Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer. The work was aimed at a wide literate audience raised on tales as told in such publications as Thomas Bulfinch's The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes. Frazer offered a modernist approach to discussing religion, treating it dispassionately as a cultural phenomenon rather than from a theological perspective....

The Bhagavad Gita is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s best-selling translation is reliable, readable, and profound.Easwaran's 55-page introduction places the Bhagavad Gita in its historical setting, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions clarify key concepts, and notes and a glossary explain Sanskrit terms.Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition in India, and learned Sanskri...

Discussed and debated from time immemorial, the concept of personal liberty went without codification until the 1859 publication of On Liberty. John Stuart Mill's complete and resolute dedication to the cause of freedom inspired this treatise, an enduring work through which the concept remains well known and studied. The British economist, philosopher, and ethical theorist's argument does not focus on "the so-called Liberty of the Will…but Civil, or Social Liberty: the nature and limits of...

The prominent Zen Buddhist scholar and author of The Wisdom of Insecurity draws on Taoism, Christianity, and other world religions to explore the dilemma of seeking your true selfIn this collection of writings, including nine new chapters never before available in book form, Alan Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that has made him so perennially popular as an interpreter of Eastern thought for Westerners. H...

Lynne Truss's 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' injected new life into the long-standing arguments over rights and wrongs in English usage. Now David Crystal brings together his own distinctive style and unique expertise to provide the first thorough-going assessment of the ongoing debate. With a lively, humorous, and accessible approach, Crystal charts the battles past and present, illustrating the characters and attitudes involved from a wide range of written sources. He combines a chronological...