A fascinating work of history, biography, cartography, and literary mystery, Mr Selden’s Map of China unlocks the secrets behind a recently discovered map of China like no other of its time.In 1659, a vast and unusual map of China arrived in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It was bequeathed by John Selden, a London business lawyer, political activist, former convict, MP, and the city’s first Orientalist scholar. Largely ignored, it remained in the bowels of the library, unti...

This practical guide is written for beginners who want a home that feels safer, calmer, and easier to manage without depending on a professional for every small task. It breaks a familiar problem into clear actions, explains what to check before starting, and keeps the focus on progress that can be seen and repeated. You do not need a workshop full of expensive equipment or years of experience. You need a sensible order of operations, realistic expectations, and a willingness to learn one ...

Goethe's 'Faust' is considered to be his Magnum Opus and one of the best works of German literature ever completed. It is a universal tale of belonging, love, despair and finding ones purpose.Faust is a man in anguish; having dedicated his life to the sciences, to understanding the world around him he now sees that he has learnt all that he can. He is distraught by the notion that he cannot be at one with the cosmic universe and attain the highest form of knowledge. Seeing this, Th...

In "The Invisible Lodge," Jean Paul crafts a rich narrative that blends elements of fantasy and philosophical reflection, encapsulated within his signature whimsical and satirical prose. This work, published in the early 19th century, explores themes of imagination, the nature of reality, and the intricate interplay between the self and society. With its elaborate metaphors and playful language, the novel invites readers into a surreal world where the boundaries of perception blur, mirrori...

In "Plish and Plum," Wilhelm Busch masterfully blends whimsy with insightful satire, presenting the adventures of two anthropomorphic characters'Äîa plump cat named Plish and a curious mouse named Plum. Set against a charmingly illustrated backdrop of rural life, this narrative employs Busch's signature witty verse and playful illustrations to not only entertain but also provoke contemplation regarding the age-old dynamics of predator and prey. The book captures the essence of 19th-century...

Goethe's *Faust; a Tragedy, Translated from the German of Goethe* presents the learned Faust's desperate wager with Mephistopheles, tracing his pursuit of limitless knowledge, sensual experience, and spiritual fulfillment. Combining philosophical drama, lyrical poetry, satire, romance, religious allegory, and elements of medieval legend, the work resists the conventions of a unified stage tragedy. Its shifting registers—from colloquial speech and popular song to learned allusion and vision...

In 'The Invisible Lodge,' Jean Paul masterfully weaves a tapestry of whimsical narratives and philosophical reflections that delves into the intricate relationship between the visible and invisible realms of existence. Set within a landscape rich with surrealism, the novel employs a playful yet poignant literary style marked by elaborate descriptions, paradoxical humor, and an introspective tone. The text is a pivotal work in the Romantic literary movement, exploring themes of transcendenc...

The author of Vermeer's Hat shares "a dizzying and exhilarating journey" through 800 years of Chinese history and national identity (New Statesman).China is one of the oldest states in the world. It achieved its approximate borders with the Ascendancy of the Yuan dynasty in the thirteenth century and has maintained them ever since—through the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Republic, the Occupation, and Communism. Yet China has never been alone in the world. I...

In 221 BC, the First Emperor of Qin unified the lands that would become the heart of a Chinese empire. Though forged by conquest, this vast domain depended for its political survival on a fundamental reshaping of Chinese culture. With this informative book, we are present at the creation of an ancient imperial order whose major features would endure for two millennia.The Qin and Han constitute the “classical period” of Chinese history—a role played by the Greeks and Romans in the W...

The Tang dynasty is often called China’s “golden age,” a period of commercial, religious, and cultural connections from Korea and Japan to the Persian Gulf, and a time of unsurpassed literary creativity. Mark Lewis captures a dynamic era in which the empire reached its greatest geographical extent under Chinese rule, painting and ceramic arts flourished, women played a major role both as rulers and in the economy, and China produced its finest lyric poets in Wang Wei, Li Bo, and Du Fu....

In recent years, most of the economies of Eastern Asia have been absorbed into global capitalism. Capitalism has transformed these economies, but the process has not been one-way. The cultures of Eastern Asia have in turn shaped how capitalism organizes labor, capital, and markets in ways that could not have been anticipated even ten years ago. On the basis of rich empirical analyses of East and Southeast Asia, and with theoretical insights from different approaches in the social sciences,...

Engaging the writing of the fifteenth-century Confucian theorist and chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Qiu Jun, these essays enlarge our grasp of both Confucianism and the Chinese state, exploring what educated Chinese imagined as best practice in meeting the challenges of administering the realm. Rediscovering statecraft in the Ming period allows us to think about the tradition of applied Confucian duty without the moralism dominating conventional Chinese intellectual history, redirecti...