The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy


Book Description

The Lord of the Rings is intended to be applicable to the real world of relationships, religion, pleasure, pain, and politics. Tolkien himself said that his grand tale of wizards, orcs, hobbits, and elves was aimed at truth and good morals in the actual world. Analysis of the popular appeal of The Lord of the Rings (on websites and elsewhere) shows that Tolkien fans are hungry for discussion of the urgent moral and cosmological issues arising out of this fantastic epic story. Can political power be wielded for good, or must it always corrupt? Does technology destroy the truly human? Is it morally wrong to give up hope? Can we find meaning in chance events? In The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy, seventeen young philosophy professors, all of them ardent Tolkien fans and most of them contributors to the four earlier volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, address some of these important issues and show how clues to their solutions may be found in the imaginary world of Middle-earth. The book is divided into five sections, concerned with Power and the Ring, the Quest for Happiness, Good and Evil in Middle-earth, Time and Mortality, and the Relevance




One Ring to Bind Them All


Book Description

"This cross-disciplinary analysis shows that Tolkien presented to modern readers and other writers a rich array of reinvented mythic archetypes and icons: the desperate quest (good vs. evil); a magical object that embodies or initiates the quest (the ring); the wise wizard who oversees or aids the quest (Gandalf); the reluctant hero, an ordinary person with untapped abilities (Frodo); the hero's loyal friend and supporter (Sam); the warrior king whose true identity is hidden (Strider/Aragorm); and the goddess figure (Galadriel)."--BOOK JACKET.




One Book to Rule Them All


Book Description

I can draw a 'euphoric warmth' into my body straight from thin air. It's the same euphoria you get after a great workout, often called a runner's high. As you are well aware, that warm, pleasant feeling isn't just your body heating up from exercise—it's a surge of joy and vitality that starts in your chest and spreads throughout your body, lifting your spirits. We actually feel different versions of this warmth in all sorts of happy moments: soaking up the sunshine, hugging someone we love, or being blown away by an amazing piece of art. In this preface, I'll show how these seemingly unrelated experiences are actually different forms of the same thing— all originating from a single source: God. Surprisingly, everything that makes life breathtakingly beautiful and gives us goosebumps can be traced all the way back to before the Big Bang. However, this profound existential insight is not going to be the book's most crucial aspect. What's really fascinating is that even while perfectly still in a dark and freezing room, without any external stimuli or another person, I can generate this same blissful warmth within a few breaths. You’ve probably heard of monks who can sit on ice for hours without feeling cold. This isn’t some superhuman ability—it’s the result of deep meditation, far beyond anything a meditation app can offer. That’s why monks often choose solitude: to immerse themselves fully in this nourishing energy, letting it embrace them for days and nights. However, I believe this warmth isn’t meant to be kept for oneself; it should be shared and transformed into something even greater. So, in my part of the story, I’m excited to share this book with all of you, explaining everything as clearly and simply as possible—from how these experiences connect to God, to how you can tap into this cosmic source of euphoria yourself. You are welcome to share it with friends, neighbors or even your local barista. My hope is that it reaches those who need it most.




The Fellowship of the Ring


Book Description

'The Fellowship of the Ring' is the first part of JRR Tolkien's epic masterpiece 'The Lord of the Rings'. This 50th anniversary edition features special packaging and includes the definitive edition of the text.|PB




The Wind Done Gone


Book Description

A parody of Gone with the wind, this novel tells the story of Cynara, the mulatto half-sister born into slavery who eventually triumphs.




Foundations of Applied Mathematics, Volume I


Book Description

This book provides the essential foundations of both linear and nonlinear analysis necessary for understanding and working in twenty-first century applied and computational mathematics. In addition to the standard topics, this text includes several key concepts of modern applied mathematical analysis that should be, but are not typically, included in advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate mathematics curricula. This material is the introductory foundation upon which algorithm analysis, optimization, probability, statistics, differential equations, machine learning, and control theory are built. When used in concert with the free supplemental lab materials, this text teaches students both the theory and the computational practice of modern mathematical analysis. Foundations of Applied Mathematics, Volume 1: Mathematical Analysis includes several key topics not usually treated in courses at this level, such as uniform contraction mappings, the continuous linear extension theorem, Daniell?Lebesgue integration, resolvents, spectral resolution theory, and pseudospectra. Ideas are developed in a mathematically rigorous way and students are provided with powerful tools and beautiful ideas that yield a number of nice proofs, all of which contribute to a deep understanding of advanced analysis and linear algebra. Carefully thought out exercises and examples are built on each other to reinforce and retain concepts and ideas and to achieve greater depth. Associated lab materials are available that expose students to applications and numerical computation and reinforce the theoretical ideas taught in the text. The text and labs combine to make students technically proficient and to answer the age-old question, "When am I going to use this?




One Horn to Rule Them All


Book Description

Unicorns, with their single ivory horn, are elusive and magical creatures of myth. Yet even more elusive are the purple unicorns. First sighted at the Superstars Writing Seminar, their legend has grown year after year until it could only be contained in this anthology. Nineteen storytellers, including Peter S. Beagle, Todd McCaffrey, and Jody Lynn Nye, as well as new and rising authors, invite us into worlds both near and far, across a desert oasis, a pet shop, a Comic-Con exhibition floor, and more, and show us the many variations of purple unicorns, from the imaginary to the actual-and one very memorable half-unicorn, half-potato. One Horn to Rule Them All is an unforgettable collection of imagination and creativity. So, saddle up, and take a ride beyond the rainbow. All profits benefit the Superstars Writing Seminar Scholarship Fund.




Sword of the North


Book Description

"As Davarus Cole and his former companions were quick to discover, the White Lady's victorious liberation of Dorminia has not resulted in the freedom they once imagined. Anyone perceived as a threat has been seized and imprisoned or exiled to darker regions leaving the White Lady's rule unchallenged and absolute. But the White Lady would be wiser not to spurn her former supporters, Eremul the Halfmage has learned of a race of immortals known as the Fade, and if he cannot convince the White Lady of their existence, all of humanity will be in danger. Far to the north, Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf continue their odyssey to the High Fangs, only to find themselves caught in a war between a demon horde and their enemy of old, the Shaman and in the wondrous city of Thelassa, Sasha must overcome demons of her own"--




Five to Rule Them All


Book Description

In this lively, fast-moving, and often humorous narrative, David Bosco illuminates the role of the Security Council in the postwar world, telling the inside story of this remarkable diplomatic creation. Drawing on extensive research, including dozens of interviews with serving and former ambassadors on the Council, the book chronicles political battles and personality clashes as it opens the closed doors of its meeting room. What emerges here is a revealing portrait of the most powerful diplomatic body in the world.




When Tito Loved Clara


Book Description

Clara Lugo grew up in a home that would have rattled the most grounded of children. Through brains and determination, she has long since slipped the bonds of her confining Dominican neighborhood in the northern reaches of Manhattan. Now she tries to live a settled professional life with her American husband and son in the suburbs of New Jersey—often thwarted by her constellation of relatives who don’t understand her gringa ways. Her mostly happy life is disrupted, however, when Tito, a former boyfriend from fifteen years earlier, reappears. Something has impeded his passage into adulthood. His mother calls him an Unfinished Man. He still carries a torch for Clara; and she harbors a secret from their past. Their reacquaintance sets in motion an unraveling of both of their lives and reveals what the cost of assimilation—or the absence of it—has meant for each of them. This immensely entertaining novel—filled with wit and compassion—marks the debut of a fine writer.




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