Bloomsbury Portraits

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the best colour reproductions of work yet seen.......1998-09-01

anyone interested in the bloomsbury group - vanessa bell & duncan grant should definitely add it to their collection

The Bells of Victory: The Pitt-Newcastle Ministry and Conduct of the Seven Years' War 1757-1762

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Important Myth-Breaking Work
Overall a rewarding read about the early British Empire

The Bells of Victory: The Pitt-Newcastle Ministry and Conduct of the Seven Years' War 1757-1762
Richard Middleton
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521521327

Book Description

â€~Our Bells are worn threadbare with ringing for victoryâ€™, wrote Horace Walpole after receiving news of Wolfeâ€™s victory at Quebec in October 1759. Traditional accounts of the Seven Yearsâ€™ War have emphasized the contribution of the Elder Pitt to the success of Britain in Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, India and the Far East. The Bells of Victory argues that such a view is misguided and that, far from exercising single-handed control, Pittâ€™s influence was necessarily circumscribed. The margin between military success and failure was extremely small, and the British authorities worked within constraints imposed by constitutional propriety and political expediency. Effective government action was the result of teamwork by many individuals in the diverse fields of diplomacy, politics, finance, the army, navy, ordnance and commissariat.

Customer Reviews:

Important Myth-Breaking Work.......2006-02-13

Richard Middleton convincingly argues in this well written book that the influence of Pitt during the war has been hyped. Pitt showed no system for winning the war and his descents on the French coast were political expedients to avoid sending troops to Germany. Pitt was not Prime Minister as the office did not exist. Instead he worked as one of two secretaries of state, who, along with the Treasury, made up the ministry. The book focuses on the politics and administration of the war, and not on the battles and campaigns themselves. Interestingly, the author shows how historians before the early 1900s were sloppy, and how modern historians often rely on their work without doing their own proper investigation.

Overall a rewarding read about the early British Empire.......2003-08-20

This is an analysis of the Seven Years War from the point of view of the British Administration - chiefly the Pitt-Newcastle Ministry. It is a hugely rewarding read. As a major result of the war was the destruction of the French colony in Canada, many books have taken this struggle as the prime focus (e.g. Fred Anderson's magnificent `The Crucible of War'), however in Middleton's analysis we see how European centric the struggle actually was. Britain's primary (as in most costly) struggle with France was fought on German territory, King George II was also the Elector of Hanover and pressed vigorously for European action. Pitt, in opposition, sided with the faction was opposed Britain's intervention on the European continent. Pitt's view was that the struggle with France should concentrate on destroying France's trade by occuping French colonies, thereby increasing British trade and colonies. Therefore Pitt backed a strong navy and minimal European involvement. In this he foreshadowed the `Splendid Isolation' policy of the British Empire in the 19th Century.
The book shows Pitt as every bit as calculating as his contemporaries. He is seen to play to George II's faction by backing enormous British funding of armies in Europe while trying to maintain his former position by limiting the number of actual British troops sent (i.e. funding mercenaries). He is seen initially to pander to Spanish demands when he first comes to power, only to use these same demands as a pretext for resignation later when it seems more advantageous for him.
Through all this Middleton holds that Pitt was less a strategist than a forceful opportunist. His basic policy of a strong navy yielded great results against an enemy (France) who was torn between the need for a strong army (to maintain and expand its European influence) and a strong navy (to maintain and expand its colonies and trade). Other policies - European intervention and alliances and so forth, waxed and waned as circumstances dictated.
Middleton gives Pitt's contemporaries their due - they have been overshadowed by his legacy, but they are seen as his equals and perhaps more diplomatically skilful in some cases - in particular the Duke of Newcastle, long derided as vacillating and spiteful, is given a more careful analysis as a major force in the administration. The interaction among the members of the Ministry, and between them and the various royals - the King, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cumberland is well described and shows the complexity and constraints of wielding power in Georgian Britain.
Overall this is a serious and rewarding read for anyone interested in the development of the early British Empire.

Charleston: Past and Present: The Official Guide to One of Bloomsbury's Cultural Treasures

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Charleston: Past and Present: The Official Guide to One of Bloomsbury's Cultural Treasures
Quentin Bell , Angelica Garnett , Henrietta Garnett , and Richard Shore
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156167735

Book Description

An illustrated guide to Charleston, the Sussex farmhouse where Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant provided a gathering place for the Bloomsbury group, which included such literary and artistic luminaries as E. M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, and Virginia Woolf.

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Around Old Horbury
Richard Bell
Manufacturer: Willow Island Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A History of East Sussex County Council (History of)

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A History of East Sussex County Council (History of)
Christopher Richard Vincent Bell
Manufacturer: Phillimore for East Sussex County
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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Urban, State & Local Government | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0850332125

Ministers and Ministries: A Functional Analysis

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Ministers and Ministries: A Functional Analysis
Peter Bell , Richard Parry , and Ian Thomas
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Public Affairs & Administration | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0198274866

Book Description

Ministers and their ministries are the means by which we hold government accountable for providing vital public services such as adequate health, education, and social security benefits. In this provocative book the author systematically examines the persisting and changing features of Whitehall ministries since 1945. Three case studies - the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office, and the Northern Ireland Office - provide detailed illustrations of the complexity of the issues involved. Professor Rose's analysis raises fresh questions about the priorities of politicians as individuals, and about public priorities involving tens of billions of pounds and millions of public servants. His concluding chapter argues that Mrs Thatcher's attempt to introduce techniques of business management into government is based upon a fundamental misunderstanding of the priorities of ministers and ministries.

New Bell's Cathedral Guide (The New Bell's Cathedral Guides)

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New Bell's Cathedral Guide (The New Bell's Cathedral Guides)
John Physick , Pamela Tudor-Craig , and Richard Gem
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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What an enchanting visit

Richard Bell's Britain
Richard Bell
Manufacturer: Wm Collins & Sons & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

What an enchanting visit.......2004-05-09

This book just arrived in my mailbox. I was thrilled to see its depth and breadth of watercolours and read Richard Bell's accompanying words. Collins, a British Press, did the most wonderful job reproducing the drawings on very fine, thick paper, something quite rare among my other watercolour and/or drawing books. It provides or rather gives you the sense you are actually visiting Mr. Bell's journal itself, a most enchanting visit.

While I am no longer in England, it puts me in mind to pack up, lightly, with my sketchbook and paints and take a similar jaunt through trails or mountains, places here on the East Coast of the United States covered in light, colour and golden opportunities.

A rich experience this book.

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RICHARD BELL'S BRITAIN
Unknown
Manufacturer: COLLINS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S34E2E

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RICHARD BELL'S BRITAIN.
Richard. Bell
Manufacturer: BCA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O7KGO4

Book Description

Madeira Directions has all you need to get the most out of this beautiful island and its neighbour, Porto Santo. The guide is richly illustrated with hundreds of specially commissioned photos. The full-colour introduction looks at the top places to stay, the sights not to miss, the best walks and the pick of beaches. The main section of the guide, "Places", explores the island in detail, with every sight, hotel, restaurant and beach located on accompanying user-friendly maps. This slim, stylish guide is suitable for visitors on any budget.

The Rough Guide to Madeira 1 (Rough Guide Mini Guides)

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The Rough Guide to Madeira 1 (Rough Guide Mini Guides)
Matthew Hancock
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1858287278
Release Date: 2001-11-08

Book Description

INTRODUCTION

Lying some 600km off the coast of Morocco, Madeira is an extraordinarily dramatic island of wild mountain scenery and fantastic walking terrain. Combining precipitous valleys and sheer cliffs - including the second-highest sea cliffs in the world at Cabo Girão - the island boasts an astonishingly diverse array of colourful semitropical vegetation and gently cultivated terraces. Understandably, Madeira's natural beauty, along with its year-round mild climate, excellent hotel facilities, gardens and extremely low levels of crime, has long attracted older visitors, and consequently the island has had a reputation as a rather fusty destination for OAPs. However, it is now also attracting a much younger crowd, who are being wooed by the excellent levada walks and the growing number of watersports facilities and adventure sports on offer.

Madeira and the neighbouring island of Porto Santo were uninhabited until they were discovered and colonized by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. Bang in the middle of a major navigational route in the Atlantic, Madeira quickly established itself as an important trading post, linking Portugal with its colonies in Africa and the Americas. However, its economy only really took off as trade in the island's famous Madeira wine expanded in the seventeenth century. This trade was largely controlled by the British, Portugal's traditional commercial ally, leading to a strong British influence on the island's elite. There are still many Anglo-Madeiran families on the island today, while top hotels like Reid's maintain British customs, such as English teas. However, despite English being spoken just about everywhere, Madeira is very much a Portuguese island: the population is nearly all of mainland Portuguese descent, the signs, food and culture are Portuguese, and so are! the superb pastries, powerful coffees and very drinkable table wines.

As a holiday destination Madeira is relatively cheap, though, as most products have to be imported, it is more expensive than mainland Portugal. Until fairly recently, the island was one of the poorest parts of Portugal and consequently of Europe, and there are rural communities that have only recently been connected to road transport and mains electricity. Rural traditions are still important and the islanders remain conservative in their values. However, they have embraced the European Union with open arms, largely thanks to its funding of a new network of roads and building projects, which have helped propel most of the island into the twenty-first century. Though ancient farming methods on hilltop terraces continue, EU subsidies are updating agriculture and firmly making tourism the number-one source of income for the islanders, especially now the airport has been extended to allow jumbo jets to land.

However, despite the rash of new development to cater for an expected increase in the number of tourists, equal efforts are being made to preserve Madeira's natural heritage: the island boasts the greatest concentration of virgin lauraceous forests in the world, and an astonishing 66 percent of the island enjoys protected national-park status.

Book Description

When Kia finds she is pregnant, her ordered life crumbles - until she begins to trust herself.

Customer Reviews:

Wow.......2005-02-26

I loved this book!I loved how Kia knew she couldn't keep the baby but wanted to so much. Kia knew it was a girl from the start and didn't listen to any possibilities that it might be a boy. I didn't pick this book up for a couple of days because I had the stomach flu and the book seemed really nasty but I'm so glad I did. I read half of the book in one afternoon-evening. I also loved how at the beginning of most chapters it showed what week she was in and the development of the baby. You have to read this book, otherwise your missing out.

Not worth it.......2005-02-18

This book is just too contrived and cliched, the dialogue and the prose are stilted and unnatural. Try Don't Think Twice by Ruth Pennebaker, which is a much better, more in-depth book about a teenage pregnancy. A fourth-grader could have written this.

Dancing Naked - in my top ten!.......2005-01-17

This is a wonderful book - the first novel to make me cry in several years. About a pregnant girl who must decide what to do with her baby, it's heart-wrenching. The author pulled it off beautifully, until I felt I knew the character well enough to find her on the street. I highly recommend this book. It's one of the few good (and modern) teen novels. It's very absorbing. I stayed up half the night trying to finish it! It's definitely one of my favorites.

Dancing Naked.......2004-03-19

I really enjoyed Dancing Naked because its about acceptance and survival. Accepting what Kia is going though. This is acceptance because some of her friends won't accept who she is once she gets pregnant. In the story her school friends won't hang out with her and won't invite her to hang out with them or go to parties. Kia's youth group is there for her the whole way and her leader goes through the parent classes with Kia. Derek is the guy who got her pregnant. He is learning how to accept what Kia does with the child. He had to accept it because she did not do what he wanted her to do. I think it would be really hard having your boyfriend mad at you for making the right choice. He wanted her to get an abortion but she decides to put the baby up for adoption. An example of the theme survival is that people are helping Kia with her decisions. Some of the people who are helping her with her decisions are the Doc's, her parents and her priest from church. These people are helping her by talking to her about what her options are and what will happen in the future if she keeps the child. Her parents have confidence in her that she will make the right choice. I think that would be a hard part because it's your choice to do abortion, adoption, or to keep the child. It would be really hard for her because she's only 17 years old. Kia survives what she had chosen at the end of the book. I think it would be the hardest thing to make the decision whether you put it up for adoption, keep it or have an abortion. I would recommend this book to others if they like a little suspense.

Straightforward and Thoughtful.......2004-03-09

Kia Hazelwood comes to a terrifying and life-changing realization at the beginning of this story-she's pregnant. Once a seemingly perfect daughter, she now has to deal with a reality that few other sixteen-year-olds have to. Her unsupportive boyfriend wants her to get an abortion, yet Kia refuses. At times, it seems that her friends have all but disappeared and she only has the support of her loyal youth pastor, Justin. Yet despite the painful times she goes through, Kia learns poweful lessons through her pregnancy.

The best thing about "Dancing Naked" is that within the first pages it plunges you right into the thick of the situation. The prose is clear and straightforward and the subject matter is intelligently explored without being melodramatic. Readers will definitely appreciate the sweet and realistic character of Kia, and her decision not to have an abortion, yet not to condemn others for chosing that option, is uniquely thought-provoking. Futhermore, the way that "Dancing Naked" alternates between pieces of Kia's journal, her emails to Justin, and third person prose makes for a reading experience that holds your attention.

Overall, a solid choice for any teenage girl. Occasionally, I felt the characters to be slightly caricaturized and simplified-the outrageously unsupportive boyfriend and completely flaky friends, for example. However, the other strengths of "Dancing Naked" all but outweigh this flaw. Readers who are interested in this novel should also investigate Ruth Pennebaker's "Don't Think Twice."

Book Description

Studies of brain evolution have moved rapidly in recent years, building on the pioneering research of Harry J. Jerison. This book provides state-of-the-art reviews of primate (including human) brain evolution. The volume is divided into two sections, the first offers new perspectives on the developmental, physiological, dietary, and behavioral correlates of brain enlargement. However, it has long been recognized that brains do not merely enlarge globally as they evolve, but that their cortical and internal organization also changes in a process known as reorganization. Species-specific adaptations therefore have neurological substrates that depend on more than just overall brain size. The second section explores these neurological underpinnings for the senses, adaptations, and cognitive abilities that are important for primates. With a prologue by Stephen J. Gould and an epilogue by Harry J. Jerison, this is an important new reference work for all those working on primate brain evolution.

Customer Reviews:

Great summary/introduction to "brain size vs. organization" debate.......2006-05-01

I'd taken a class called Brain and Evolution at my university and our professor, Dr. Buxhoeveden (himself very influential in the study of minicolumns), required this book for the course. It is a very readable book with 14 chapters devoted to the ontogenetic and phylogenetic findings with minicolumns, axonal connections and brain size between primates. Chapter two, entitled "Neocortical expnasion and elaboration during primate evolution: a view from neuroembryology" is worth the book alone, giving a detailed an much neglected view (compared to the rest of modern neuroscience) on how minicolumns and the neurons/connections within develop in humans and other primates. Great book, though pricey. You can probably find some used copies online.

Good summary of research trends.......2001-12-31

This is a short, very readable book, consisting of a series of brief reviews of various aspects of primate cortical evolution. There are two main sections, "The evolution of brain size," and "Neurological substrates of species-specific adaptations," each with a very helpful introductory/summary essay. A fascinating epilogue is by Harry Jerison, in whose honor this volume was written, showing how the pioneers in a field can still stay on the cutting edge of things. Two of the articles I found most illuminating were by Todd Preuss, who shows how the idea of a canonical mammalian cortical circuit diagram is a gross oversimplification, and Katerina Semendeferi, who contests the received truth that human frontal lobes are greatly expanded; in fact her work shows they are of the expected volume for a primate of our size. Pasko Rakic also presents his view of how cortical expansion could have occurred (by simply expanding the number of cell cycles in the ventricular zone), which he has presented elsewhere, but here with some new data on the role of apoptosis. However, there is not much coverage of recent advances in the understanding of regulatory molecules involved in brain development (e.g. the hox genes). The book is also a priced a bit too high in my opinion. But for those interested in this area, it is a must read, and an enjoyable one.

Book Description

This volume includes a selection of contributions to the Second Conference of the European Science Education Research Association held in Kiel, in September 1999. The aim of the conference was to provide a state-of-the-art view of science education research in Europe and also worldwide by looking at what has been achieved in the past decades and what has to be done in the coming years. In the first part of the volume, views and visions of science education research are discussed. The subsequent parts deal with research on scientific literacy, on students' and teachers' conceptions, on conceptual change, and on instructional media and lab work. The volume focuses not only on research in Europe but provides a truly international perspective with contributions by researchers from around the world.

Paw prints: how scientists use DNA to learn about the past, present, and future of dog breeds.: An article from: Science World

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Paw prints: how scientists use DNA to learn about the past, present, and future of dog breeds.: An article from: Science World
Mona Chiang
Manufacturer: Scholastic, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Science World, published by Scholastic, Inc. on January 16, 2006. The length of the article is 1930 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Paw prints: how scientists use DNA to learn about the past, present, and future of dog breeds.
Author: Mona Chiang
Publication: Science World (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 16, 2006
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Volume: 62 Issue: 8 Page: 8(7)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Modal logic originated in philosophy as the logic of necessity and possibility. Now it has reached a high level of mathematical sophistication and has many applications in a variety of disciplines, including theoretical and applied computer science, artificial intelligence, the foundations of mathematics, and natural language syntax and semantics. This volume represents the proceedings of the first international workshop on Advances in Modal Logic, held in Berlin, Germany, October 8–10, 1996. It offers an up-to-date perspective on the field, with contributions covering its proof theory, its applications in knowledge representation, computing and mathematics, as well as its theoretical underpinnings.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting read.......2001-11-24

Ukigumo is Japan's first modern novel, and it is fascinating to read. Modern Japanese literature has a compressed development, and it started here. The translation is very good.

Don't get me wrong, this is a strong novel with a good story. But it is more than worth reading just for the history.

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Japan's First Modern Novel: Ukigumo of Futabatei Shimei
Marleigh Grayer Ryan
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NOXDWU

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Ukigumo Japans First Modern Novel
Futabatei Shimei
Manufacturer: Columbia Univ@press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
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ASIN: 0231086660

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Japan's First Modern Novel: Ukigumo of Futabatei Shimei
Marleigh Grayer; Trans. And Critical Commentary Ryan
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J17KS0

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