The opalescent deserts of the American Southwest have become romantic icons in the public imagination through the words of writers, the images of artists and photographers, and the visual storytelling of filmmakers. In this spirited, personal, beautifully written book, Peter Wild explores the lives and works of sixteen writers whose words have shaped our visions of the opal desert.Wild begins with Cabeza de Vaca, whose Relación of his desert wanderings sent treasure-hungry...

A fashionable young man sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty in Oscar Wilde's fascinating gothic tale.The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde’s only full-length novel, is the enduringly eerie story of a naïve and irresistible young man lured by decadent Lord Henry Wotton into a life of depravity. Though Dorian is steeped in sin, his face remains perfect, unlined as years pass—while only his portrait, locked away, reveals the blackness of his soul. T...

A vintage BBC suspense thriller from the creator of The Archers and Dick BartonWhen David Conway attends a birthday party for his beautiful fiancée Pat, he expects a few drinks and a good time, but what he discovers is that his beloved is in fact in terrible danger. Following the clues, and a tip off about her missing bracelet, David and Pat are led first to a steel works, then a circus, but instead of finding the bracelet, they uncover both a body and a r...

‘Most directors have one film for which they are known or possibly two’, Francis Ford Coppola has said. ‘Akira Kurosawa has eight or nine.’ Through his many masterpieces such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, High and Low, Yojimbo, Kagemusha and Ran, Kurosawa’s (1910–1998) work has influenced the most acclaimed directors working today, from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to Martin Scorsese. His groundbreaking innovations in both cinematogr...

As he did with Noise: Fiction Inspired by Sonic Youth, editor Peter Wild has pulled together an eclectic list of talented writers who take their cue from one of the world’s best loved bands—The Smiths. Please is sure to please fans of The Smiths, Morrisey, and guitarist Johnny Marr—as well as contributors such as Nic Kelman, Willy Vlautin, and Catherine O’Flynn.

Ever wondered whether plant-based commercial products really are the healthy option? Or why some people consider margarine to be plastic? And do we really need to supplement our diet with extra vitamins? Is paying more for organic foods worth the price?Consumers who want to make informed food choices may do so on purported health claims or ethical grounds, but the information is often confusing and contradictory. The authors explore common perceptions about different foods, delving...

For more than twenty-five years, the antimelodic "noise" of Sonic Youth has assaulted us, exhilarated us, inspired us. Why?Katherine Dunn says it's because they operate in the foggy world between the real and the surreal. Mary Gaitskill says that Sonic Youth caught her, years ago, when she was falling. J. Robert Lennon says it's because Sonic Youth rip it apart. Emily Maguire was hooked because once she was in love with chaos.Their sound is caustic, elemental, nihilistic—an...

This volume features new research about the philosophy of plant intelligence and plant cognition, one of the most intriguing and complex current debates at the intersection of biology, cognitive science and philosophy.The debate about plant cognition is marked by deep disagreements. Some theorists are confident that the empirical evidence supports the ascription of cognitive capacities to plants. Others hold that such claims are overblown, and defend more traditional, non-cognitive...

The structure of a food influences the way it is transformed during processing and digestion. This in turn has an impact on nutrient bioaccessibility (release) and digestibility, and subsequently on the physiological response and health of the individual who consumes that food.Although evidence exists on the health benefits associated with the inclusion of certain lipid-rich foods (e.g. nuts, dairy products and fish) in the diet, the mechanisms that explain the physiological effect...

Yorkshire’s hilarious adventurer-pensioners wreak havoc in twelve classic TV episodes from the world’s longest-running sitcom, presented as audio soundtracks with linking narration by Peter Sallis.The story centres on a trio of older men in the Yorkshire town of Holmfirth whose attempts to inject adventure into retirement routinely descend into farce. Across its long run, the central trio evolved, but the combinations of Compo (Bill Owen), Clegg (

For manufacturers of complex engineering equipment, the focus on service and achieving outcomes for customers is the key to growth. Yet, the capability to provide service for complex engineered products is less understood.Taking a trans-disciplinary approach, Complex Engineering Service Systems covers various aspects of service in complex engineering systems, with perspectives from engineering, management, design, operations research, strategy, marketing and operations man...

This volume presents the papers from the seventh North-European Symposium for Archaeological Textiles (NESAT), held in Edinburgh in 1999. The themes covered demonstrate a variety of scholarship that will encourage anyone working in this important and stimulating area of archaeology. From the golden robes of a Roman burial, to the fashionable Viking in Denmark, through to the early modern period and more technological aspects of textile-research, these twenty-four papers (five of which are ...