New Books

January 2008

Stained Glass: Jewels of Light - Porcelli, Joe

The windows of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The magnificent lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany. The New Golden Age of Glass at the end of the 20th century. These are some of the highlights we consider when we think of stained glass, but this extraordinary volume takes the reader on a journey that begins about 3000 B.C., when glass was discovered by Phoenician sailors. Early glass mosaics predate by nearly a thousand years what we know today as stained glass, an art form that found its roots in Christianity. Now expert glass craftsman, author and "Glass Craftsman magazine's publisher Joe Porcelli takes the reader on a tour through the centuries of some of the most vibrant work in this field...a magical, ethereal look at light and color that continues right up to the current innovations and creativity in the field. Complete with a unique catalog of the work of contemporary artists. – ecampus.com

 

Contents: Introduction: The Magic of Glass -- Early Stained Glass -- Religious Stained Glass -- The Fall and Rise of Stained Glass -- LaFarge, Tiffany, and the Age of American Art Glass -- The Early Twentieth-Century Avant-Garde -- The German School of Stained Glass -- The Crafts Revival and the New Golden Age of Glass Reflecting on the Future -- Conclusion The ``Found Art'' -- Further Reading -- Index.   

Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction - Dodds, Klaus

In places such as Iraq or Lebanon , moving a few feet on either side of a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between geography and politics. This Very Short Introduction illuminates the concept of geopolitics, revealing how a country's location and size as well as its sovereignty and resources all affect how its people understand and interact with the wider world. Using wide-ranging examples, from historical maps to James Bond films and the rhetoric of political leaders like Churchill and George W. Bush, Klaus Dodds describes how people and places are inter-connected with each other, and how our geopolitical outlook molds our understanding of the world. He shows why it is vital that we understand how and why we divide the world into zones and territories--and how these divisions depend on your perspective. The book explains how terrorism, globalization, environmental degradation, and new technologies such as the internet are all challenging the geographical basis of global politics, and it sheds light on the history of terms such as "the iron curtain," "the third world," and "the axis of evil." – from the publisher

Tragedy: A Very Short Introduction - Poole, Adrian

To your local anchorperson, the word "tragedy" brings to mind an accidental fire at a low-income apartment block, the horrors of a natural disaster, or atrocities occurring in distant lands. To a classicist however, the word brings to mind the masterpieces of Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Racine; beautiful dramas featuring romanticized torment. What has tragedy been made to mean by dramatists, storytellers, philosophers, politicians, and journalists over the last two and a half millennia? Why do we still read, re-write, and stage these old plays? This lively and engaging work presents an entirely unique approach which shows the relevance of tragedy to today's world, and extends beyond drama and literature into visual art and everyday experience. Addressing questions about belief, blame, mourning, revenge, pain, and irony, noted scholar Adrian Poole demonstrates the age-old significance of our attempts to make sense of terrible suffering. – from the publisher

 

Contents: 1. Who needs it? -- Once upon a time -- The living dead -- Who's to blame? -- Big ideas -- No laughing matter -- Words, words, words -- Good timing -- Pain and gain.

Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction - Blackmore, Susan J.

"The last great mystery for science," consciousness has become a controversial topic. Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction challenges readers to reconsider key concepts such as personality, free will, and the soul. How can a physical brain create our experience of the world? What creates our identity? Do we really have free will? Could consciousness itself be an illusion? Exciting new developments in brain science are opening up these debates, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. This book clarifies the potentially confusing arguments and clearly describes the major theories, with illustrations and lively cartoons to help explain the experiments. Topics include vision and attention, theories of self, experiments on action and awareness, altered states of consciousness, and the effects of brain damage and drugs. This lively, engaging, and authoritative book provides a clear overview of the subject that combines the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience--and serves as a much-needed launch pad for further exploration of this complicated and unsolved issue. – from the publisher

 

Contents: Why the mystery -- The Human Brain -- Time and Space -- A Grand Illusion -- The Self -- Conscious Will -- Altered States of Consciousness -- The Evolution of Consciousness.

Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction - Close, Frank

Provides a compelling and lively introduction to the fundamental particles that make up the universe. The book begins with a guide to what matter is made up of and how it evolved, and goes on to describe the fascinating and cutting-edge techniques used to study it. The best-selling author discusses particles such as quarks, electrons, and the neutrino, and exotic matter and antimatter. He also investigates the forces of nature, accelerators and detectors, and the intriguing future of particle physics. This book is essential reading for general readers interested in popular science, students of physics, and scientists at all levels. – from the publisher

 

Contents: Journey to the centre of the universe -- How big and small are big and small? -- How we learn what things are made of, and what we found -- The heart of the matter -- Accelerators : cosmic and manmade -- Detectors : cameras and time machines -- The forces of Nature -- Exotic matter (and antimatter) -- Where has matter come from? -- Questions for the 21st century.

Socialism: A Very Short Introduction - Newman, Michael

Today, most people think of socialism as an outdated ideology. In this Very Short Introduction, Michael Newman seeks to place the idea of socialism in a modern context for today's readers. He explains socialist ideas in the framework of its historical evolution, from the French Revolution to the present day, and examines practical attempts to implement socialism. Not just another history of socialist ideas, this book aims for a different approach that looks at practice as well as theory--centering on the contrast between Communism and Social Democracy. The relationship between socialism and notions of democracy, freedom, and equality is also discussed. Newman brings the subject entirely up to date by tackling contemporary forms of socialism. While the book's focus is on Europe and the Soviet Union , it is set in a broader geographical context. Newman's fresh approach to the subject enables the reader to re-evaluate socialism. – from the publisher

 

  Contents: Introduction -- Socialist traditions -- Cuban communism and Swedish social democracy -- New Lefts - enrichment and fragmentation -- Socialism today and tomorrow -- Further reading.

Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction - Flynn, Thomas

One of the leading philosophical movements of the twentieth century, existentialism has had more impact on literature and the arts than any other school of thought. Focusing on the leading figures of existentialism, including Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, and Camus, Thomas Flynn offers a concise account of existentialism, explaining the key themes of individuality, free will, and personal responsibility, which marked the movement as a way of life, not just a way of thinking. Flynn sets the philosophy of existentialism in context, from the early phenomenologists, to its rise in the 40's and 50's, and the connections with National Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. He identifies the original definition of "existentialism," which tends to be obscured by misappropriation, and highlights how the philosophy is still relevant in our world today. – from the publisher

 

Contents: Philosophy as a Way of Life -- Becoming an Individual -- Humanism, For and Against -- Authenticity -- A Chastened Individualism? Existentialism and Social Thought -- What is Living and What is Dead in Existentialist Thought?

International Relations: A Very Short Introduction - Wilkinson, Paul

In the post-September 11th arena of growing political tension and unease, it is more important than ever that we understand the changing world of modern international relations. With this comprehensive and accessible book, Paul Wilkinson covers the topics that are essential to our knowledge of this complex subject. He explains the theories and the practices that underlie international relations, and investigates issues ranging from foreign policy, arms control, and terrorism, to the environment and world poverty. Wilkinson examines key questions such as how the international state system might be improved to facilitate better relations between states, explores the roles of international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union, and discusses the influences that ethnic, and religious movements, and terrorist groups have had on shaping the way states and governments interact. – from the publisher

 

Contents: States -- Non-states -- Intergovernmental organizations -- Problems and challenges.

Challenge Your Intelligence - Bremner, John

No matter how old you are, the more you use your mind, the sharper your mental faculties will be. So limber up those brain cells and take a few of these entertaining intelligence tests. Maybe you like playing with numbers more than words, or can visualize shapes better than you can spell. A real intelligence test is made up of three separate groups of tests: verbal, numerical, and visual/spatial, and a combined score is then rate against a national average. Taking these Mensa practice tests will help you discover what type of thinker you are and help you develop greater flexibility in the way you solve problems.

Mastering Perspective for Beginners - Arcas, Santiago

This technical yet lucid instruction book introduces the fundamental concepts and techniques of simulating perspective, and demonstrates their practical application step by step. It provides numerous examples and a series of exercises, from the use of guidelines to the clever use of color to suggest depth and distance, in order to arrange objects properly to create three-dimensional effects. Illustrated with hundreds of color photographs and step-by-step examples, the art instruction books in this series introduce beginners to the fundamental principles and techniques of various traditional media. - Tall Tales Bookshop

Drawing Course 101 - Capitolo, Robert

By successfully combining theory and practice, this on-the-page course provides the tools and information necessary for any artist to develop strong observational, organizational, and expressive drawing skills. The instructions include a discussion of the uses and history of drawing materials, then it's on to the basics of composition and of controlling representational shading. Seven distinct shading techniques, including various forms of crosshatch shading, charcoal techniques, and shading with colored pencils, are laid out in detail and supplement a variety of compositional ideas. Read through this volume as a comprehensive primer in drawing, or refer back as needed to answer questions or refine particular skills. A supplemental glossary is included to assist in understanding technical terms. – from the publisher

 

Contents: Introduction -- CHAPTER 1: MATERIALS AND TOOLS -- Pencils -- Charcoal -- Colored Pencils and Chalks -- Pen and Ink -- Papers and Other Surfaces -- Erasers -- Fixative -- Scratchboard -- CHAPTER 2: BASIC CONCEPTS -- Elements of Art -- Qualities of Shading -- Principles of Composition -- CHAPTER 3: SKETCHING AND SUGGESTING DEPTH -- Rough Sketches -- Drawing from Photos and from Observation -- More About Forms and Shapes -- Complex Forms -- Using Perspective and Other Ways of Suggesting Depth -- Linear Perspective -- Activity 1. Arrange and Sketch a Simple Still Life -- CHAPTER 4: WORKING WITH IMAGES: CROPPING AND GRIDS -- Activity 1. Using a Viewfinder to Help Choose a Composition -- Activity 2. Enlarging an Image by the Diagonal Method -- Activity 3. Using a Grid to Enlarge an Image -- Activity 4. Using a Grid to Distort an Image -- PROJECTS -- PROJECT 1. Smudge Shading on a Contour Drawing -- Activity 1. Creating a Series of Contour Drawings -- Activity 2. Creating a Composition from Contour Drawings -- A Few Words About Composition -- Activity 3. Practicing Smudge Shading -- Activity 4. Creating the Finished Smudge-Shaded Drawing -- Project 2. Ink Drawing with Hatch and Cross-Hatch Shading -- Activity 1. Creating a Sketch -- Activity 2. Practicing Cross-Hatch Shading with Ink -- Activity 3. Drawing and Shading Your Composition -- Project 3: Montage Composition with Cross-Hatch and Smudge Shading -- Activity 1. Creating a Composition of Several Images -- Activity 2. Practicing Gradation of Value with Lines -- Activity 3. Making the Final Drawing -- Project 4: Random Line Shading with Gesso -- Photos as a Source of Subject Matter -- Activity 1. Creating a Sketch -- Activity 2. Preparing the Gesso Board -- Activity 3. Transferring the Preliminary Drawing to the Gesso Board -- Activity 4. Shading the Drawing -- Project 5: Charcoal Portrait on Toned Paper -- Basic Proportions of the Face -- Activity 1. Working on the Sketch -- Activity 2. Transferring the Sketch and Completing the Drawing -- Project 6: Cross-Hatch Shading on Scratchboard -- Activity 1. Creating a Drawing -- Activity 2. Transferring the Drawing to Scratchboard -- Activity 3. Practicing Scratchboard Technique -- Activity 4. Executing the Drawing on Scratchboard -- Project 7: Nonobjective Design with Colored Pencils -- Activity 1. Using a Viewfinder to Choose a Composition -- Activity 2. Enlarging the Composition -- Activity 3. Transferring the Sketch to Drawing Paper -- Activity 4. Practice Mixing Colors with Colored Pencils -- Activity 5. Creating the Final Drawing -- A Little Color Theory.

Political Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction - Miller, David

This Introduction introduces readers to the concepts of political philosophy: authority, democracy, freedom and its limits, justice, feminism, multiculturalism, and nationality. Accessibly written and assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, it encourages the reader to think clearly and critically about the leading political questions of our time. The book first investigates how political philosophy tackles basic ethical questions such as "how should we live together in society?" It furthermore looks at political authority, discusses the reasons society needs politics in the first place, explores the limitations of politics, and asks if there are areas of life that shouldn't be governed by politics. Moreover, the book explores the connections between political authority and justice, a constant theme in political philosophy, and the ways in which social justice can be used to regulate rather than destroy a market economy. In his travels through this realm, Miller covers why nations are the natural units of government and wonders if the rise of multiculturalism and transnational co-operation will change all this, and asks in the end if we will ever see the formation of a world government. – from the publisher

Politics: A Very Short Introduction - Oxford University Press

Providing the general reader and the student with an introduction to the central issues of political science, A Very Short Introduction to Politics shows how political trends and maneuvers develop and how they help shape our society. Kenneth Minogue, with his lively and popular style, begins with a discussion of issues arising from a historical account of politics, and goes on to offer chapters dealing with the Ancient Greeks and the idea of citizenship; Roman law; medieval Christianity and individualism; freedom since Machiavelli and Hobbes; the challenge of ideologies; democracy, oligarchy, and bureaucracy; power and order in modern society; and politics in the West. Readable and pithy, this entertaining introduction is perfect for anyone looking for an accessible overview of the subject. – from the publisher

The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy - Magee, Bryan

Magee has taught philosophy at Oxford ; he attempts to make philosophy understandable to the lay reader. Great Philosophers is a series of conversations with important contemporary philosophers about the major historical figures, originally produced for the BBC. – Library Journal

Ancient Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction - Annas, Julia

The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich and varied one, in which the notes of discussion and argument constantly resound. This book aims to introduce readers to some ancient debates and to get them to engage with the ancient developments of some themes. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book aims to give readers a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy, and of its wide variety of themes and styles. – from the publisher

Contents: Introduction -- Humans and beasts: understanding ourselves -- Why do we read Platos Republic ? -- The happy life, ancient and modern -- Reason, knowledge and skepticism -- Logic and reality -- When did it all begin? (and what is it anyway?) -- Further Reading – Notes -- Index.

Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction - Barnes, Jonathan

The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book, Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context. – from the publisher

Descartes: A Very Short Introduction - Sorell, Tom

Rene Descartes had a remarkably short working life, yet his contribution to philosophy and physics have endured to this day. He is perhaps best known for his statement, " Cogito, ergo sum, " the cornerstone of his metaphysics. Descartes did not intend the metaphysics to stand apart from his scientific work, which included important investigations into physics, mathematics, and optics. In this book, Sorell shows that Descarates was, above all, an advocate and practitioner of the new mathematical approach to physics, and that he developed his philosophies to support his discoveries in the sciences. – from the publisher

Hobbes - Tuck, Richard

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was the first great English political philosopher, and his book Leviathan was one of the first truly modern works of philosophy. Richard Tuck shows that while Hobbes may indeed have been an atheist, he was far from pessimistic about human nature, nor did he advocate totalitarianism. By locating him against the context of his age, we learn that Hobbes developed a theory of knowledge which rivaled that of Descartes in its importance for the formation of modern philosophy. – from the publisher

Hume: A Very Short Introduction - Ayer, A. J.

Hume is one of the greatest of all British philosophers, and even in his own lifetime was celebrated as one of the pivotal figures of the Enlightenment. A central theme of his philosophy is the conviction that questions traditionally thought of as completely independent of the scientific realm--questions about the mind, about morality, and about God, for example--are actually best explained using the experimental methods characteristic of the natural sciences. Hume's "naturalist" approach to a wide variety of philosophical topics resulted in highly original theories about perception, self-identity, causation, morality, politics, and religion, all of which are discussed in this stimulating introduction by A J Ayer, himself one of the twentieth century's most important philosophers. Ayer also gives an account of Hume's fascinating life and character, and includes generous quotations from Hume's lucid and often witty writings. – from the publisher

Kant: A Very Short Introduction (Rev) - Scruton, Roger

Immanuel Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but is also one of the most difficult. In this illuminating Very Short Introduction, Roger Scruton--a well-known and controversial philosopher in his own right--tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.– from the publisher

Kierkegaard: A Very Short Introduction - Gardiner, Patrick

Scholars have largely misunderstood Soren Kierkegaard, remembering him chiefly in connection with the development of existentialist philosophy in this century. In a short and unhappy life, he wrote many books and articles on literary, satirical, religious and psychological themes, but the diversity and idiosyncratic style of his writing have contributed to a misunderstanding of his ideas. In this book--the only introduction to the full range of Kierkegaard's thought--Patrick Gardiner demonstrates how Kierkegaard developed his ideas and examines his thoughts in light of the doctrines on society developed by his contemporaries Marx and Feuerbach. Finally, he assesses the profound importance of Kierkegaard's ideas on the development of modern ways of thinking. – from the publisher

Locke: A Very Short Introduction - Dunn, John

John Locke (1632-1704) one of the greatest English philosophers of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, argued in his masterpiece, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding , that our knowledge is founded in experience and reaches us principally through our senses; but its message has been curiously misunderstood. In this book John Dunn shows how Locke arrived at his theory of knowledge, and how his exposition of the liberal values of toleration and responsible government formed the backbone of enlightened European thought of the eighteenth century. – from the publisher

Marx: A Very Short Introduction - Singer, Peter

Peter Singer identifies the central vision that unifies Marx's thought, enabling us to grasp Marx's views as a whole. He sees him as a philosopher primarily concerned with human freedom, rather than as an economist or a social scientist. In plain English, he explains alienation, historical materialism, the economic theory of Capital, and Marx's ideas of communism, and concludes with an assessment of Marx's legacy. – from the publisher

 

A life and its impact; 2. The young Hegelian; 3. From God to money; 4. Enter the proletariat; 5. The first Marxism; 6. Alienation as a theory of history; 7. The goal of history; 8 Economics; 9. Communism; 10. An assessment; Note on sources; Further Reading; Index.

Russell: A Very Short Introduction - Grayling, A. C.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) is one of the most famous and important philosophers of the twentieth century. In this account of his life and work A. C. Grayling introduces both his technical contributions to logic and philosophy, and his wide-ranging views on education, politics, war, and sexual morality. Russell is credited with being one of the prime movers of Analytic Philosophy, and with having played a part in the revolution in social attitudes witnessed throughout the twentieth-century world. This introduction gives a clear survey of Russell's achievements across their whole range. – from the publisher

Spinoza - Scruton, Roger

Father of the Enlightenment and the last guardian of the medieval world, Spinoza made a brilliant attempt to reconcile the conflicting moral and intellectual demands of his epoch and to present a vision of man as simultaneously bound by necessity and eternally free. Ostracized by the Jewish community in Amsterdam to which he was born, Spinoza developed a political philosophy that set out to justify the secular state ruled by a liberal constitution, and a metaphysics that sought to reconcile human freedom with a belief in scientific explanation. Here, Roger Scruton presents a clear and systematic analysis of Spinoza's thought and shows its relevance to today's intellectual preoccupations. – from the publisher

Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction - Grayling, A. C.

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original thinker, whose influence on twentieth-century thinking far outside the bounds of philosophy alone. In this engaging Introduction, A.C. Grayling makes Wittgenstein's thought accessible to the general reader by explaining the nature and impact of Wittgenstein's views. He describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein's continuing influence on contemporary thought. – from the publisher