This is a rich novel, narrated by young Paddy Maguire, of his life growing into young adulthood in a Dublin slum of the late 1930s and 40s Ireland. Consider it a Dublin version of The Catcher in the Rye with lustful, lusty, thirsty, hard-working Paddy--a character as memorable as Holden Caulfield or Studs Lonigan--drolly detailing his adventurous adolescence. Goodbye to the Hill tells the story of a young man desperate to escape the confines of poverty and stifling mores, yet is an uplifti...

A Bed in the sticks, Lee Dunne's sequel to Goodbye to the Hill opens with the hero, Paddy Maguire returning to Ireland after a short and dismal sojourn to England. He is bowed but undeaten and with his usual optimism embarks on an exploration of stage craft with a touring theatrical company as it winds its way through the small towns of 1950s rural Ireland. Paddy's theatrics on and off the stage, make for a warm, funny and insightful perspective on the times and the growing pains of a man/...

A guide to current practice in assessment, particularly for those professionals coming to terms with new pressures on their traditional teaching practices. Increased use of IT, flexible assessment methods and quality assurance all affect assessment, and the need to diversify and adapt traditional assessment practices to suit new modes of learning is clearer than ever.The Student Assessment Handbook looks at the effectiveness of traditional methods in the present day and pro...

Few people have made greater contributions to protecting and improving the environment than the scientist, teacher, activist Dr. Barry Commoner. For half a century, Dr. Commoner has been an international leader in the environmental movement. On the occasion of his eightieth birthday, a symposium was held at which invited speakers discussed his contributions to a wide range of environmental issues. This book, collecting many of the invited papers, provides fascinating insights into the life...

"The Cotton Dust Papers" is the story of the 50-year struggle for recognition in the U.S. of this pernicious occupational disease. The authors contend that byssinosis could have and should have been recognized much sooner, as a great deal was known about the disease as early as the 1930s. Using mostly primary sources, the authors explore three instances from the 1930s to the 1960s in which evidence suggested the existence of brown lung in the mills, yet nothing was done. What the story of ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAn extraordinary insight into life under one of the world’s most ruthless and secretive dictatorships – and the story of one woman’s terrifying struggle to avoid capture/repatriation and guide her family to freedom.As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and...

In "The Beautiful: An Introduction to Psychological Aesthetics," Vernon Lee embarks on an innovative exploration of aesthetics, interweaving philosophical discourse with psychological insights. Lee's prose, rich in metaphor and intelligence, deftly navigates the intersection of beauty and human emotion, positioning aesthetic experience as a vital component of psychological understanding. With a finely nuanced style, she draws on a diverse intellectual heritage that encompasses romanticism ...

In "A Phantom Lover," Vernon Lee weaves a mesmerizing narrative that intricately blends elements of the Gothic with profound psychological exploration. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century Europe, the novella delves into the liminal spaces between reality and fantasy, exploring themes of love, desire, and the supernatural. Lee's lyrical prose and vivid imagery create an atmosphere that both enchants and unnerves, inviting readers to ponder the murky boundaries that define human ...

Encounter the scariest clowns and freakiest curiosities under the big top, in stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Laird Barron, Priya Sharma, and others.With an introduction from Katherine DunnLadies and gentlemen, step right up for fifteen tales of terrifying rides, supernatural sideshows, and petrifying performers guaranteed to keep you up all night—with Hugo and Bram Stoker Award–winning editor Ellen Datlow as the ringmaster.In Stephen Graham ...

With "incantatory prose" that "sweeps over the reader like a dream" (Philadelphia Inquirer), Hoffman follows her celebrated bestseller The Probable Future with an evocative work that traces the lives of the various occupants of an old Massachusetts house over a span of two hundred years.In a rare and gorgeous departure, beloved novelist Alice Hoffman weaves a web of tales, all set in Blackbird House. This small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod is a place that...

In René Girard, Theology, and Popular Culture, fifteen contributors consider how Girard’s mimetic theory can be used to uncover and probe the theological depths of popular culture. Creative and critical engagement with Girard’s theory enables the contributors to offer fresh and exciting interpretations of movies (The Devil Wears Prada, Mean Girls, Star Wars), television (Hoarders, Cobra Kai), classical literature and graphic novels, and issues ranging from anorexia to social media. The res...

Women of the Sparrow family have unusual gifts. Elinor can detect falsehood. Her daughter, Jenny, can see people's dreams when they sleep. Granddaughter Stella has a mental window to the future-a future that she might not want to see.In Alice Hoffman's latest tour de force, this vivid and intriguing cast of characters confronts a haunting past-and a very current murder-against the evocative backdrop of small-town New England. By turns chilling and enchanting, The Probable Futur...