In Aircraft Stories noted sociologist of technoscience John Law tells “stories” about a British attempt to build a military aircraft—the TSR2. The intertwining of these stories demonstrates the ways in which particular technological projects can be understood in a world of complex contexts.Law works to upset the binary between the modernist concept of knowledge, subjects, and objects as having centered and concrete essences and the postmodernist notion that all is fragmente...

Building on important issues highlighted by the late Philip Jones, this volume explores key aspects of the city state in late-medieval and Renaissance Italy, particularly the nature and quality of different types of government. It focuses on the apparently antithetical but often similar governmental forms represented by the republics and despotisms of the period. Beginning with a reprint of Jones's original 1965 article, the volume then provides twenty new essays that re-examine the issues...

Although much recent social science and humanities work has been a revolt against simplification, this volume explores the contrast between simplicity and complexity to reveal that this dichotomy, itself, is too simplistic. John Law and Annemarie Mol have gathered a distinguished panel of contributors to offer—particularly within the field of science studies—approaches to a theory of complexity, and at the same time a theoretical introduction to the topic. Indeed, they examine not only way...

The historiography of the Italian Renaissance has been much studied, but generally in the context of a few key figures. Much less appreciated is the extent of the enthusiasm for the subject in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the subject was 'discovered' by travellers and men and women of letters, historians, artists, architects and photographers, and by collectors on both sides of the Atlantic. The essays in Victorian and Edwardian Responses to the Italian Renaissance explore the b...

Catchy Book Description (Short Version)"Cleo and the Magic of Rainbows" is a heartwarming tale about a little cloud with a big dream — to become a rainbow! Join Cleo on her colorful adventure as she learns that true magic comes from within. With gentle lessons about self-worth, kindness, and believing in yourself, this uplifting story will inspire children to chase their dreams, no matter how big or bright.Perfect for ages 4–8, this beautifully told story encourages imag...

Hampshire is the largest county in south-east England, despite losing the Isle of Wight and other areas during the 1974 boundary changes. Three important cities fall within its present boundaries: Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth. Winchester, once the capital of England and still the county town, was home to the famous green buses of King Alfred Motor Services until the business was sold to the National Bus Company subsidiary Hants & Dorset in 1973. Formerly a Tilling Group member, H...

Though British Rail had dispensed with steam locomotives by 1968, the greatest changes to the capital’s railways occurred afterwards. In the early years of the 1970s much of the network was run down and some parts not expected to survive. Non-corridor passenger stock, all painted in drab blue, dominated suburban services. Inter-city routes had loco-hauled stock in blue and grey. Many lines were still controlled by semaphore signals. Much needed investment came in the form of electrificatio...

Southdown Motor Services, a subsidiary of the British Electric Traction Company, once dominated the county of Sussex, with a history dating back to 1915. The National Bus Company took over in 1969 and the company was split up in the 1980s, with the Brighton and much of the East Sussex areas becoming ‘Brighton & Hove’, bringing back memories of the former Tilling Group operator of a similar name. Brighton Corporation also ran buses in that town, as did neighbouring Eastbourne, both with fas...

The history of affordable public transport in the Yorkshire city of Leeds began in 1871, when horses began pulling trams around the city. Leeds Corporation purchased the network in 1893 and electrification followed soon afterwards. The system expanded, but finally ceased operations in 1959.Leeds was also an early pioneer of trolleybuses, with a route to Farnley Moor Top opening in 1911. Two further routes later opened, as feeders to the tram system, bringing Leeds City Tramways int...

By 1970, the boundaries of the county of Kent had been finalised, with parts, including Bexley, Bromley and Erith, being lost to Greater London. The capital’s red buses were still to be found in Dartford; otherwise the rest of west Kent was the territory of London Country Bus Services. The centre of the county, including the Medway towns and Maidstone, was where one could find Maidstone & District’s mainly Leyland fleet. Maidstone was also home to the last municipal operator in Kent, final...

The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are three separate European countries that have their own railway systems, with much integration between each other. They are united by all running regular passenger train services, mostly hourly or more frequent, within each country and beyond. Nederlandse Spoorwegen supplies the principal rail service within the Netherlands, supplemented by other operators such as Arriva and Syntus, who run a few local lines. All the passenger services within Belgi...

Public transport began in Barnsley in 1902 with the opening of the Barnsley & District Electric Traction Co. Ltd, with a small Y-shaped network from Smithies to Worsborough Bridge and Worsborough Dale. Motorbus operations commenced in 1913, which soon expanded outwards, bringing about the first name change, with the word electric being dropped from the company’s title. 1928 saw the name changed again, with Yorkshire Traction being adopted, reflecting the growing business beyond the boundar...