Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow


Book Description

There are many interesting questions about history of which the most common are 'why does it happen?' and 'is there any way of stopping it?' Second only to these is the question of the infamous outlaw Robin Hood, with whom this book is concerned. Was Robin Hood a great outlaw who dispensed justice like some kind of Sherwood pharmaceutical or was he, perhaps, just a man with a bow who happened to be in the wrong place when the Sheriff of Nottingham went on a law and order drive? In this mediaeval romp, inspired by writers such as Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, we can promise that the answer to this question will be, if not answered, at least definitively ignored. Comedy, adventure and romance, all can be found within its pages (particularly if you use them to wrap up your valuable video collection).




Robin Hood: The Legacy of a Folk Hero


Book Description

If you thought you knew about Robin Hood… then think again! ​ Written by Robert White, chairman of the World Wide Robin Hood Society. ​ Many tales have been told about Robin Hood. The traditional stories of good versus evil and his quest to regain his rightful inheritance are universally appealing. The legend has intrigued generation after generation and everyone has their own personal vision of Robin Hood - a swashbuckling hero; a romantic outlaw; a bandit thief; a fighter of injustice or a benevolent champion of the people. Numerous books have been written by historians trying to untangle the myth, establish his actual existence and speculate on just who he might have actually been. Consequently, the subject of the globally renowned hero of English folklore has become extensively complex but the observations included in this publication should provide a brief overview of some of the key facts, issues and perceptions surrounding Robin Hood. ​ Robin Hood: The Legacy of a Folk Hero gives a fascinating insight into the numerous aspects of one of the world’s most enduring and iconic legends. Robert White discusses interesting facts and titbits surrounding the outlaw, and then reflects on how the Sherwood Forest hero has become a global phenomenon who, over 800 years, evolved into 'the people’s champion'. Embark on an journey from the legend’s mythical roots to how, across the ages, the tales of Robin and his merry men has developed in many diverse ways that still impact us to this day. ​ Whatever your opinions and beliefs, this title will reveal just why Robin Hood has become so much more than simply a mythical outlaw of English folklore.




A Necessary Killing


Book Description

Julie Sumner is no quitter. When her husband is killed, she runs their plague-threatened farm alone. All around battle the same danger and wonder at her refusal to grieve, but Julie's obsessive allegiance to the land and her animals is the only thing that keeps her going. Even when everyone else surrenders, she fights on in a barricade of barbed wire. And when it is men, not bugs, that smash her defences, Julie still isn't beaten. She uncovers the identity of the man who wiped her out, and she knows where to find him. Now her goal is murder, the perfect murder.a necessary killing. "A gripping portrait of a modern tragedy" Kate Long, The Times: '2006 new star of fiction'







People, Print & Paper


Book Description

The National Library's major public contribution to the Australian Bicentenary was the travelling exhibition, People, Print & Paper. Celebrating two hundred years of Australian books, this exhibition and the accompanying catalogue bring together a collection of books which gives a fascinating insight into an aspect of Australian life and character which is often overlooked.




Rochester


Book Description




Conservation Biology for All


Book Description

Conservation Biology for All provides cutting-edge but basic conservation science to a global readership. A series of authoritative chapters have been written by the top names in conservation biology with the principal aim of disseminating cutting-edge conservation knowledge as widely as possible. Important topics such as balancing conversion and human needs, climate change, conservation planning, designing and analyzing conservation research, ecosystem services, endangered species management, extinctions, fire, habitat loss, and invasive species are covered. Numerous textboxes describing additional relevant material or case studies are also included. The global biodiversity crisis is now unstoppable; what can be saved in the developing world will require an educated constituency in both the developing and developed world. Habitat loss is particularly acute in developing countries, which is of special concern because it tends to be these locations where the greatest species diversity and richest centres of endemism are to be found. Sadly, developing world conservation scientists have found it difficult to access an authoritative textbook, which is particularly ironic since it is these countries where the potential benefits of knowledge application are greatest. There is now an urgent need to educate the next generation of scientists in developing countries, so that they are in a better position to protect their natural resources.




The Accidental Time Machine


Book Description

NOW IN PAPERBACK-FROM THE AUTHOR OF MARSBOUND Grad- school dropout Matt Fuller is toiling as a lowly research assistant at MIT when he inadvertently creates a time machine. With a dead-end job and a girlfriend who left him for another man, Matt has nothing to lose in taking a time-machine trip himself-or so he thinks.







Why We Play


Book Description

Play is one of humanity's straightforward yet deceitful ideas: though the notion is unanimously agreed upon to be universal, used for man and animal alike, nothing defines what all its manifestations share, from childish playtime to on stage drama, from sporting events to market speculation. Within the author's anthropological field of work (Mongolia and Siberia), playing holds a core position: national holidays are called "Games," echoing in that way the circus games in Ancient Rome and today's Olympics. These games convey ethical values and local identity. Roberte Hamayon bases her analysis of the playing spectrum on their scrutiny. Starting from fighting and dancing, encompassing learning, interaction, emotion and strategy, this study heads towards luck and belief as well as the ambiguity of the relation to fiction and reality. It closes by indicating two features of play: its margin and its metaphorical structure. Ultimately revealing its consistency and coherence, the author displays play as a modality of action of its own. "Playing is no 'doing' in the ordinary sense" once wrote Johan Huizinga. Isn't playing doing something else, elswhere and otherwise ?