Babylon: for eons its very name has been a byword for luxury and wickedness. 'By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept', wrote the psalmist, 'as we remembered Zion'. One of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Babylon has been eclipsed by its own sinful reputation. For two thousand years the real, physical metropolis lay buried while another, ghostly city lived on, engorged on accounts of its own destruction. More recently the site of Babylon has been the centre of major excavati...

This is a story of two young men who first met when they were at art school in their midteens. The story is set in a period between the late 50s and early 60s. Both young men are called up to do their national service. The narrator, Christopher, who is the less adventurous and romantic of the two, does his military service in England, only seventy miles from his home so that he is able to visit his parents and girlfriend on frequent weekend passes. Simon, the other young man, is posted to ...

Much has been written about the laogai (sometimes likened to the Soviet gulag) in the People's Republic of China. Depending on the source, the prisons are described as nonexistent, enlightened institutions, or hellish places that subject the inmates to degradation and misery. The system is commonly thought of (by admirers and critics alike) as having a measurable impact on the national economy and providing significant resources to the state. Based on research in classified documents and e...

Written for professionals spanning children's services, this must-read guide provides an authoritative overview of what shapes the psychological wellbeing of children and young people - from perinatal care and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through to their socioeconomic circumstances, schools and the wider community.Contributors provide a concise overview of the evidence base, identifying current barriers to good mental health in policy and service provision, and highlightin...

Both realism and justice demand that efforts to conserve biological diversity address human needs as well. The most promising hope of accomplishing such a goal lies in locally based conservation efforts -- an approach that seeks ways to make local communities the beneficiaries and custodians of conservation efforts.Natural Connections focuses on rural societies and the conservation of biodiversity in rural areas. It represents the first systematic analysis of locally based...

WHEN IT COMES TO MURDER, THERE'S ALWAYS A CHOICE…The only thing more varied than how people are killed is the many, many ways people try to get away with this terrible crime. Now masterful mystery writer Dorothy Salisbury Davis brings together 23 classic stories of crime and suspense, whodunits and detective stories from some of the finest authors of the 1950s.Ross Macdonald's classic P.I. Lew Archer takes a chilling case in California, where the mob isn't ...

This volume and its companion, The new dynamics of ageing volume 1, provide comprehensive multi-disciplinary overviews of the very latest research on ageing. Together they report the outcomes of the most concerted investigation ever undertaken into both the influence shaping the changing nature of ageing and its consequences for individuals and society.This book concentrates on four major themes: autonomy and independence in later life, biology and ageing, food and nutrition and re...

This unique book aims to treat a class of nonlinear waves that are reflected from the boundaries of media of finite extent. It involves both standing (unforced) waves and resonant oscillations due to external periodic forcing. The waves are both hyperbolic and dispersive. To achieve this aim, the book develops the necessary understanding of linear waves and the mathematical techniques of nonlinear waves before dealing with nonlinear waves in bounded media. The examples used come mainly fro...

The language of Poetry is an art that most of us attempt at some point in our lives. Although its commonplace exposure has been somewhat marginalised in today’s often fast-paced lives we all recognise good verse that can empathise with our thoughts or open us up to experience new things in new ways, to better understand and to enjoy the many strands of our lives.But finding a starting point can be overwhelming, even off-putting, so in this series we offer up our Top 10 classic poet...

Poetry. A form of words that seems so elegantly simple in one verse and so cleverly complex in another. Each poet has a particular style, an individual and unique way with words and yet each of us seems to recognise the path and destination of where the verses lead, even if sometimes the full comprehension may be a little beyond us.Through the centuries every culture has produced verse to symbolize and to describe everything from everyday life, natural wonders, the human condition ...

Northern Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth and home to a broad range of ecological and human cultures. With A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia, editors Todd Davis and Noah Davis recognize and celebrate this diversity and the fact that humans are storytelling creatures who develop relationships with their landscapes at the intersection of art and science.A companion volume to A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia, this gui...

In the realm of poetry, where emotions dance and words paint vivid tapestries, "The Coming of the Princess, and Other Poems" by Kate Seymour MacLean emerges as a captivating collection. With a lyrical voice that weaves through themes of love, loss, nature, and the human spirit, MacLean's verses invite readers on a journey of introspection and wonder. From the ethereal title poem to the poignant reflections on life's complexities, this anthology promises a rich tapestry of emotions and a pr...