Journalist Michael Meyer has spent his adult life in China, first in a small village as a Peace Corps volunteer, the last decade in Beijing--where he has witnessed the extraordinary transformation the country has experienced in that time. For the past two years he has been completely immersed in the ancient city, living on one of its famed hutong in a century-old courtyard home he shares with several families, teaching English at a local elementary school--while all around him "pr...

‘Makes the case for Annie Besant as a truly eminent Victorian, as brilliant and fearless as she was beautiful’ The Times_________London, 1877. A petite young woman stands before an all-male jury, about to risk everything. She takes a breath, and opens her defence.Annie Besant and her confidant Charles Bradlaugh are on trial for the crime of publishing a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably, Annie is defending herself against o...

The incredible story of Benjamin Franklin’s parting gift to the working-class people of Boston and Philadelphia—a deathbed wager that captures the Founder’s American Dream and his lessons for our current, conflicted age.Benjamin Franklin was not a gambling man. But at the end of his illustrious life, the Founder allowed himself a final wager on the survival of the United States: a gift of two thousand pounds to Boston and Philadelphia, to be lent out to tradesmen o...

This foundational coursebook offers an accessible and up-to-date introduction to all relevant areas of Teaching English. Definitions and practical examples guide the understanding and reflection of basic and advanced concepts of foreign language learning. The fully revised second edition responds to new developments in language education: (1) Recent policies from the Kultusministerkonferenz and updates of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages with its Companion Volume (2...

From the highly praised author of The Last Days of Old Beijing, a brilliant portrait of China today and a memoir of coming of age in a country in transition.In 1995, at the age of twenty-three, Michael Meyer joined the Peace Corps and, after rejecting offers to go to seven other countries, was sent to a tiny town in Sichuan. Knowing nothing about China, or even how to use chopsticks, Meyer wrote Chinese words up and down his arms so he could hold conversat...

Teaching English covers all of the major issues and current trends in language learning and teaching, such as the trends toward empiricism, constructivism, differentiation, learner- and output-orientation, intercultural learning, and the use of multimedia. This book bridges the gap between the suggestions of theoretical approaches to foreign language teaching and the practical needs of both the educators (regardless of the institutions they are teaching and the experiences they have gather...

This saga brings alive the world of the 10th century AD when the Vikings raided the coasts of England.Acclaimed as one of the best historical novels ever written, this engaging saga of Viking adventure in 10th century northern Europe has a very appealing young hero, Orm Tostesson, whose story we follow from inexperienced youth to adventurous old age, through slavery and adventure to a royal marriage and the search for great treasure. Viking expeditions take him to lands as far apar...

A transcendentalist classic on social responsibility and a manifesto that inspired modern protest movementsCritical of 19th-century America’s booming commercialism and industrialism, Henry David Thoreau moved to a small cabin in the woods of Concord, Massachusetts in 1845. Walden, the account of his stay near Walden Pond, conveys at once a naturalist’s wonder at the commonplace and a transcendentalist’s yearning for spiritual truth and self-reliance. But T...

Forged in Fire: The Rise of a NextGen Revivalist isn’t just a book—it’s a guidebook for living a life of divine purpose and power. In a world hungry for authentic faith and bold obedience, this manual offers a clear, practical blueprint for anyone ready to become a catalyst for revival within their sphere of influence. This book is more than theory; it is a manual to be lived. It equips believers with the framework to sustain revival—preparing the altar, shaping obedience, and multiplying ...

Leadership doesn't come with a map-but it might come with a quest.Weird is the New Normal is not your average leadership book. Blending vivid storytelling with deep insight, this one-of-a-kind narrative follows Arcanus, a wizard navigating a turbulent, enchanted world that just happens to mirror the chaos of modern leadership. Along the way, he encounters strange allies, surprising challenges, and moments of clarity that illuminate what it really means to lead with purpose....

Occupations play a crucial, yet often overlooked, role in shaping careers. As organizational boundaries become more fluid and careers increasingly involve transitions between employers, or between employment and self-employment, traditional career structures are weakening. In this evolving context, occupational fields, as communities of practice, offer structure and identity for career actors.This book explores career stories from sports, science, and religion, showing how these fi...

In the tradition of In Patagonia and Great Plains, Michael Meyer's In Manchuria is a scintillating combination of memoir, contemporary reporting, and historical research, presenting a unique profile of China's legendary northeast territory. For three years, Meyer rented a home in the rice-farming community of Wasteland, hometown to his wife's family. Their personal saga mirrors the tremendous change most of rural China is undergoing, in the form of a privately he...