Jean-François Melon (1675–1738) was the most widely read European political economist before Adam Smith. This book is the first collection dedicated to exploring the context, message, and reach of Melon’s work.The leitmotif of commerce versus conquest offers a key to Melon’s vision. He argued that a new kind of commercial state must displace the war-oriented regimes of the past. The vitality of commerce was the crowning achievement and natural outcome of well-conceived statecraft, ...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!"A sprawling escape into 18th century English nobility and one heck of an engaging romantic drama."—NewsweekOne of the most beloved historical fiction novels of all time, Through a Glass Darkly presents a breathtaking, lush story of a young noblewoman as she explores the intriguing world of the noble class while building her life with the man she loves.Karleen...

This open access book provides a comprehensive analysis of the socioeconomic determinants of Covid-19. From the end of 2019 until presently, the world has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the cause of this is (obviously) a virus, the extent to which this virus spread, and therefore the number of infections and deaths, was largely determined by socio-economic factors. From this, it follows that the course of the pandemic varies greatly from one country to another. This observ...

The beloved heroine from Koen's bestselling Through a Glass Darkly returns in a passionate, unforgettable, romantic tapestry. A widow at age 20, emotionally devastated and financially ruined by the death of her husband in scandalous circumstances, Barbara Devane leaves colonial Virginia for London to confront her enemies and to pursue a deeply satisfying yet dangerous clandestine love.

The long-awaited prequel to Koen’s beloved Through a Glass Darkly, Dark Angels is a feast of a novel that sparkles with all the passion, extravagance, danger, and scandal of seventeenth-century England.Alice Verney is a young woman intent on achieving her dreams. Returning to England after a messy scandal forced her to flee to Louis XIV’s France, Alice is anxious to re-establish herself by regaining her former position as a maid of honor to Charle...

This text brings together an overview of recent research on concepts and knowledge that abstracts across a variety of specific fields of cognitive psychology. Readers will find data from many different areas, including developmental psychology, formal modelling, neuropsychology and connectionism.

Transforming Early Childhood Education in Resource-Scarce Contexts synthesises insights from various case studies in Southern Africa to propose a practical, context-sensitive approach for improving early childhood education in resource-scarce settings through participatory research that harnesses overlooked human, social, and cultural assets.The book argues that sustainable quality cannot rely solely on financial inputs but must position practitioners, parents, and communi...

While Western medicine has conventionally separated music, science, and religion into distinct entities, traditional cultures throughout the world have always viewed music as a bridge that connects the physical with the spiritual. Now, as people in even the most technologically advanced nations across the globe struggle with obtaining affordable and reliable healthcare coverage, more and more people are turning to these ancient cultural practices of ICAM healing (integrative, complementary...

When the contemplatives of the world's traditions describe what they have found at the depth of things, are they describing the same reality? The One Light answers that they probably are and does so in two movements. Part One builds its case on various mutually supporting observations. Part Two offers a practical manual of the devout life.

The Kongo kingdom, which arose in the Atlantic Coast region of West-Central Africa, is a famous emblem of Africa's past yet little is still known of its origins and early history. This book sheds new light on that all important period and goes on to explain the significance of its cosmopolitan culture in the wider world. Bringing together different new strands of historical evidence as well as scholars from disciplines as diverse as anthropology, archaeology, art history, history and lingu...

The book analyzes socioeconomic through the lens of a lawyer. In the past decade the world has witnessed some severe financial and economic crises, especially the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The author states that the socio-economic order has in the past four to five decades been thoroughly redesigned, generally favouring models that prioritize the free market over the public interest or even, more generally, government operation. He works ...

A story of choosing love, integrity, and courage when life changes everythingWhen Susan’s partner, Barbara, was diagnosed with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a fatal genetic brain disorder, life as they knew it took an unexpected turn. In Dancing in the Face of Death, Susan encapsulates their journey through this life-changing diagnosis, beautifully weaving together the challenges of caregiving and illness with the power of love...