globe pequot publishing jun 2004 (8 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Originally published in 1891 when Wilde was at the height of his form, these brilliant essays on art, literature, criticism, and society display the flamboyant poseur's famous wit and wide learning. A leading spokesman for the English Aesthetic movement, Wilde promoted 'art for art's sake' against critics who argued that art must serve a moral purpose. On every page of this collection the gifted literary stylist admirably demonstrates not only that the characteristics of art are 'distinction, charm, beauty, and imaginative power,' but also that criticism itself can be raised to an art form possessing these very qualities.In the opening essay, Wilde laments the 'decay of Lying as an art, a science, and a social pleasure.' He takes to task modern literary realists like Henry James and Emile Zola for their 'monstrous worship of facts' and stifling of the imagination. What makes art wonderful, he says, is that it is 'absolutely indifferent to fact, [art] invents, imagines, dreams, and keeps between herself and reality the impenetrable barrier of beautiful style, of decorative or ideal treatment.'The next essay, 'Pen, Pencil, and Poison,' is a fascinating literary appreciation of the life of Thomas Griffiths Wainewright, a talented painter, art critic, antiquarian, friend of Charles Lamb, and -- murderer.The heart of the collection is the long two-part essay titled 'The Critic as Artist.' In one memorable passage after another, Wilde goes to great lengths to show that the critic is every bit as much an artist as the artist himself, in some cases more so. A good critic is like a virtuoso interpreter: 'When Rubinstein plays . he gives us not merely Beethoven, but also himself, and so gives us Beethoven absolutely.made vivid and wonderful to us by a new and intense personality. When a great actor plays Shakespeare we have the same experience.'Finally, in 'The Truth of Masks,' Wilde returns to the theme of art as artifice and creative deception. This essay focuses on the use of masks, disguises, and costume in Shakespeare.For newcomers to Wilde and those who already know his famous plays and fiction, this superb collection of his criticism offers many delights.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The quest for gold in New York's North Country has drawn people to the area for centuries. There have been numerous documented gold discoveries plus many more rumors and legends.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - At 11:10 p.m. on July 25, 1956, the luxurious Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria collided with the Stockholm forty-five miles south of Nantucket. Half a century later, the wreck of the Andrea Doria is still claiming lives. Professional and amateur divers the world round consider the Andrea Doria to be the Everest of diving. At 225 feet below the surface, the wreck lies at the very edge of human endurance and accomplishment; ordinary air becomes toxic and the divers who go there suffer nitrogen narcosis or 'the rapture of the deep.' Symptoms include confusion, lack of coordination, and perhaps most deadly of all, a loss of the ability to make clear decisions. As a result, divers use Trimix, an exotic blend of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium to descend through the strong currents, rusted metal, and twisted wires to the ultimate symbol of deep sea diving accomplishments: china teacups and plates from the wreck of the Andrea Doria. For serious wreck divers, these fragile artifacts are genuine proof of their abilities as divers.During the summers of 1998 and 1999, three elite divers lost their lives, all on separate dives from the top dive boat out of Montauk, the 65-foot Seeker. Craig Sicola was clearly suffering from 'china fever' before he went down. He'd handled teacups brought up by veteran Doria diver Gary Gentile, and the gleam in Craig's eye was unmistakable. Craig dove on June 24, 1998. A few hours later, his body bobbed to the surface. He was carrying a plate. Joe Haberstroh, the award-winning Newsday reporter, watched events unfold during the summers of 1998 and 1999. In this remarkable and intriguing book he recreates what was the pride of the Italian fleet, how it sank, the dangers of the deep, and the gripping personal stories of the men who live or die for a teacup from its remains.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Originally published in 1907, this little known novel by the author of The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome was considered controversial for its frank treatment of labor and industrial conditions, drug addiction, mercy killing, divorce, and second marriages.John Amherst, an idealistic middle manager in a New England textile mill, is committed to improving the deplorable working conditions of the laborers in his charge. But upper management, whose only concern is maximizing profits, frustrates his efforts. When Amherst eventually marries Bessy Westmore, the widow of the former mill owner, he is able at last to initiate an ambitious project of reform.But happiness for John and Bessy proves to be short-lived. It becomes quickly clear that Bessy does not understand and cannot share her new husband's passion for just labor conditions and industrial reform. She even resents the time he devotes to his work and the way in which his expenditures impact her extravagant lifestyle.Complicating the situation is the strong friendship that Bessy's old friend, Justine, develops with Amherst. Employed as a live-in tutor for Bessy's daughter, Justine eventually finds herself in an untenable position. How she reacts under pressure has lasting consequences for herself and those around her.In The Fruit of the Tree, Wharton has created a gripping tale full of psychological insights, deft social portraiture, and profound ethical questions that remain challenging even today.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The author reveals the potential for nuclear terrorism on U.S. soil in this shocking exposE. Based on the findings of U.S., Israeli, Pakistani, and U.K. intelligence, Williams argues that the theft of tactical nuclear weapons from Russian arsenals have in all likelihood made their way to terrorist cells throughout the United States in preparation for the next attack. Although the media have reported on some of these threatening developments and government insiders have acknowledged the threat of nuclear attack, no one until now has put all the pieces together in a coherent, no-nonsense way. Williams makes a persuasive case that terrorists have the motive and the means and are waiting for the right opportunity to launch an apocalyptic attack against the 'Great Satan' of America.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - When in 1823 Sigmund Freud published his structural id/ego/superego concept of the mind, he predicted that future scientific study would show that all mental experiences originate in the brain. Indeed, the extraordinary advances in neuroscience and brain-imaging technologies during the last three decades have indisputably established that the brain is involved in every mental activity.However, we have yet to discover how electro-chemical activities in the brain produce or convert into mental events. Most theories have centered on Freud's claim that mental functions are ego functions. In this ambitious and deeply thoughtful work, psychiatrist Christiaan D. van der Velde presents the results of a different approach: the analysis of the origin, nature, and functionality of the common denominators of all mental events - our mental representations. While Freud conceived these to be products of the mind, Van der Velde's analysis disputes Freud's claim. Mental representations are actually autochthonously occurring phenomena, which originate as activated cerebral imprints of previously experienced visual percepts whose gestalts - or patterns - determine cognitive content. Each gestalt is accompanied by a sense of having experienced it previously. This sense of 'knowing' cannot be explained by any physical process or function of the brain. By applying a new interpretation of the philosophical concept of dialectics the author describes cognition as an empirical - that is, purely experiential - epiphenomenon, which reflects the specific differences between internal images and actual visual percepts. Van der Velde concludes that mental representations (1) are not the products but the constituents of the mind and (2) enable us to explain the psychodynamics of all mental functions.This cogent, incisive analysis by a leading psychotherapist and researcher in cognition provides much to ponder and many insights into the nature of the mind.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The essays in this volume are the outcome of a centennial celebration honoring the life and career of Sidney Hook. In addition to some of his former students, colleagues, allies, and adversaries, this volume contains several essays by relatively unknown scholars. The value of their contributions is measured by fresh insights into Hook's philosophical significance, as well as the underlying argument that adequate distance is needed to evaluate his historical relevance. Despite the contentious nature of these two approaches, ultimately these essays represent the comprehensive attempt to both reexamine Hook's legacy and celebrate his life. The contributors include Jo-Ann Boydston, Gary Bullert, Steven Cahn, Matthew Cotter, Michael Eldridge, Barbara Forrest, Nathan Glazer, Neil Jumonville, Marvin Kohl, Paul Kurtz, Tibor Machan, Christopher Phelps, Kathleen Poulos, Edward Shapiro, David Sidorsky, Robert Talisse, and Bruce Wilshire. With a completely revised and updated bibliography of Hook's works, plus an afterword by Richard Rorty, this outstanding collection of essays examining the rich and varied experience of one of America's most misunderstood intellectuals will be of great interest to students and scholars of American intellectual history and philosophy.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - 22 Papers from an international symposium in Moscow, 2003, that drew speakers from several countries to discuss Virginia Woolf in a global context, translation issues, and Woolf as a World Writer. This is an unprecedented look at a major writer in an international context.