The Rest Is Noise


Book Description

Winner of the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book of the Year Time magazine Top Ten Nonfiction Book of 2007 Newsweek Favorite Books of 2007 A Washington Post Book World Best Book of 2007 In this sweeping and dramatic narrative, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, weaves together the histories of the twentieth century and its music, from Vienna before the First World War to Paris in the twenties; from Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia to downtown New York in the sixties and seventies up to the present. Taking readers into the labyrinth of modern style, Ross draws revelatory connections between the century's most influential composers and the wider culture. The Rest Is Noise is an astonishing history of the twentieth century as told through its music.




Ring of Steel


Book Description

A prize-winning, magisterial history of World War I from the perspective of the defeated Central Powers For the Central Powers, the First World War started with high hopes for an easy victory. But those hopes soon deteriorated as Germany's attack on France failed, Austria-Hungary's armies suffered catastrophic losses, and Britain's ruthless blockade brought both nations to the brink of starvation. The Central powers were trapped in the Allies' ever-tightening Ring of Steel. In this compelling history, Alexander Watson retells the war from the perspective of its losers: not just the leaders in Berlin and Vienna, but the people of Central Europe. The war shattered their societies, destroyed their states, and imparted a poisonous legacy of bitterness and violence. A major reevaluation of the First World War, Ring of Steel is essential for anyone seeking to understand the last century of European history.




The Harvard Dictionary of Music


Book Description

This classic reference work, the best one-volume music dictionary available, has been brought completely up to date in this new edition. Combining authoritative scholarship and lucid, lively prose, the Fourth Edition of The Harvard Dictionary of Music is the essential guide for musicians, students, and everyone who appreciates music. The Harvard Dictionary of Music has long been admired for its wide range as well as its reliability. This treasure trove includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions of instruments enriched by historical background; and articles that reflect today’s beat, including popular music, jazz, and rock. Throughout this Fourth Edition, existing articles have been fine-tuned and new entries added so that the dictionary fully reflects current music scholarship and recent developments in musical culture. Encyclopedia-length articles by notable experts alternate with short entries for quick reference, including definitions and identifications of works and instruments. More than 220 drawings and 250 musical examples enhance the text. This is an invaluable book that no music lover can afford to be without.




The Bull Ring Uncovered


Book Description

The excavations in the centre of Birmingham uncovered evidence of habitation from prehistoric and Roman times, but the 12th to 19th centuries presented by far the most evidence, from artefacts, environmental samples and structural remains. The medieval industrial past was of particular interest, with tanning and the manufacture of hemp and linen all playing a large role in the city's prosperity. Metal working reached its peak in the seventeenth century, with brass founding becoming important from the eighteenth century onwards. Most of the artefactual evidence attests to Birmingham's industrial past, indeed the evidence for domestic life is comparatively scant, with an anomalous burial of two people at Park Street presenting something of a mystery. This volume presents insights into the early industrial past of this important city and is an invaluable record covering eight hundred years of occupation.




Igniting The Chemical Ring Of Fire: Historical Evolution Of The Chemical Communities Of The Pacific Rim


Book Description

From the rise of chemical technology in antiquity to the present day, Igniting the Chemical Ring of Fire tracks the development of professional chemistry communities in the countries of the Pacific Rim. Critical in this process was the development of local education and training in chemistry. The doctorate in chemistry is generally regarded as coming into existence in early 19th century Germany, with the model spreading globally as time passed. In early years it was common for international chemistry scholars to train at the ranking German or English universities before returning to their home countries to seed a local version of the doctorate. However, little has been formally written about this process outside of Europe.Representing a first in the field for countries of the Pacific Rim, this book documents the detailed history of chemical communities in ten countries from a team of internationally renowned historians. Providing insights into how and when these countries initiated local chemistry PhD programs and became independent chemical entities, Igniting the Chemical Ring of Fire shows that there is no single path to development.




Transdisciplinary Urbanism and Culture


Book Description

This book presents a collection of critical, multi-disciplinary essays on urban research by established and early career researchers who participated in the 9th Annual AHRA (Architectural Humanities Research Association) Research Student Symposium. The symposium was held at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen from Saturday 19th May to Sunday 20th May 2012. The authors highlight contemporary research issues in urban development in search of new and fresh approaches that reflect the changing principles and praxis of urban conditions. The common ambition is to create new lines of knowledge in urban research. Due to socio-economic, political and technological changes to urban production and patterns of consumption, and a drive for inter-, cross-, multi- and transdisciplinary practice, the essays also reflect the ideological shift currently underway in academic faculties and external research organisations.




Dating Buildings and Landscapes with Tree-Ring Analysis


Book Description

This book presents guidance, theory, methodologies, and case studies for analyzing tree rings to accurately date and interpret historic buildings and landscapes. Written by two long-time practitioners in the field of dendrochronology, the research is grounded in the fieldwork data of approximately 200 structures and landscapes. By scientifically analyzing the tree rings of historic timbers, preservationists can obtain valuable information about construction dates, interpret the evolution of landscapes and buildings over time, identify species and provenance, and gain insight into the species matrix of local forests. Authors Darrin L. Rubino and Christopher Baas demonstrate, through full-color illustrated case studies and methodologies, how this information can be used to interpret the history of buildings and landscapes and assist preservation decision-making. Over 1,000 samples obtained from more than 40 buildings, including high style houses, vernacular log houses, and timber frame barns, are reported. This book will be particularly relevant for students, instructors, and professional readers interested in historic preservation, cultural landscapes, museum studies, archaeology, and dendrochronology globally.




The Alcohol and Other Drug Thesaurus


Book Description




Europe's Green Ring


Book Description

Around the fringe of Europe lies a green ring of countries which have followed different pathways into modernity from the industrial core of the continent and have, until recently, been characterized by a strong agrarian presence in their politics, economy and culture. This book brings together case studies from both the post-socialist countries and EU member states which make up the green ring to compare experiences of rural and agricultural groups. It provides a fascinating opportunity to identify similarities and contrasts in the ways in which these countries have managed their rural areas when faced with the challenges set by industrialization, political integration and globalization. The book focuses on agrarian transformation as de- (and sometimes re- ) peasantization - referring to the changing economic, social, cultural and political positions of farmers and food production workers. It also problematizes the standard rural models and opens up discussion of the problems these models pose for the farmers of the green ring countries.




Assessing Climate Change


Book Description

This updated and revised new edition of Assessing Climate Change deals with the full gamut of essential questions in relation to global warming and climate change, uniquely providing a balanced and impartial discussion of this controversial subject. It shows that most of what is “known”about the Sun, historical climates and projections for the future lacks foundation and leaves great room for doubt. Assessing Climate Change (3rd Edition) examines the credibility of the global climate models which accuse greenhouse gases of causing the temperature rise of the 20th century, and provides a better understanding of the uncertainties regarding what might lie ahead in the future. Carefully considering the “evidence” brought forward by both alarmists and skeptics, this book: • has been brought completely up to date to end 2013; • examines the measurements of near surface temperatures on Earth and how much we can rely on them; • includes hundreds of graphs showing the data; • compares the current global warming trend with past climate fluctuations; • provides a systematic review of climate change in nearly all of its aspects; • expands the discussion of potential impacts of global warming (from whatever cause); • includes nearly 1000 references specific to the climate literature.