David Cairns weaves a brilliantly engaging narrative which puts Mozart’s operas in the context of his life, showing how they illuminate his creativity as a whole. Mozart’s unusual childhood as a musical prodigy touring Europe as a performer from an early age is well known. But even more remarkable is that the genius grew up, surviving his unnatural early years and producing works of increasing maturity and originality. Using the operas as his guide, Cairns traces the steady deepening of Mo...

Precarity is a concern that affects researchers in academia across the world. Despite being experienced and highly qualified, many endure working conditions more traditionally associated with people lacking skills and credentials. This book explores this perverse situation, focusing on Portugal, with a view to explaining how precarity starts and then continues for the entire duration of a research career.Using 100 interviews conducted with researchers from across Portugal in 2022-2...

Based on exploratory research with students and graduates conducted in Armenia and its diaspora during summer 2018, Cairns and Sargsyan provide insight into some of the challenges involved in moving abroad, focusing on three different destinations: Russia, the United States and the European Union. Additionally, Student and Graduate Mobility in Armenia considers issues that have an impact on life chances for highly qualified young people who wish to remain in Armenia, including per...

This book looks at the changes that have taken place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the lockdown of societies and imposition of border controls in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus.Using empirical evidence from Portugal, a geopolitically important point of intersection within Europe and between Global South and Global North, the book examines consequences of the apparent end of mobility expansionism, developing a refreshing theoretical concept of ‘immobil...

This book takes an in-depth look at the European Commission’s Erasmus programme. In its current Erasmus+ format, the programme supports international exchange visits among students, trainees, volunteers and academic members of staff with a view to enhancing employability and encouraging intercultural understanding. Against the backdrop of the 30th anniversary of Erasmus, the authors explore the successes of the programme, most prominently the undergraduate exchange programme, as well as ar...

This book explores various forms of highly skilled mobility in the European Union, assessing the potential for this movement to contribute to individual and societal development. In doing so, the authors illustrate some of the issues arising from the opening up of Europe’s borders, and exposing its education systems and labour markets to international competition. While acknowledging the potentially positive aspects of mobility, they also reveal many of the negative consequences arising fr...

In the sun-drenched summer of 1853, the Australian colonies reverberated with the echoes of an audacious heist that would leave a nation both stunned and intrigued. It was a daring robbery, one that defied the very fabric of law and order, as a fortune in gleaming gold, freshly plucked from the rich, sprawling fields of the gold rush, was snatched away in a violent ambush. The stage was set for an epic manhunt, one that would ignite the imaginations of all who heard the tale.As wor...

Step back in time to the exhilarating days of the 1863 Gold Rush in Melbourne and the bustling northern gold towns like Ballarat and Bendigo in "The Case of the Wandering Corpse." Get ready for a gripping journey into the heart of this historical mystery, where the past meets intrigue, and two compelling characters, Findo Gask and Erroll Rait, are your guides.The year is 1863, and Melbourne is a hotbed of opportunity and danger. The promise of gold lures prospectors from far and wi...

In the unforgiving wilderness of Van Diemen's Land, where the very air seemed to carry a chill of despair, Mary Ann Goulding and Robert Bright found themselves cast into a world that bore no resemblance to the life they once knew. Transported across the treacherous seas to serve their sentences, they were condemned to a fate that others had dubbed the 'Perfect Prison.'Governor Arthur's iron grip and his unbending penal system were designed to break even the strongest of spirits. Bu...

A Readers' Choice Book Awards finalist.Set against the backdrop of a bygone era, when steam trains and clipper ships reigned and gas lamps illuminated the cobblestone streets, "The Case of the Emigrant Niece" weaves a spellbinding narrative that transports readers to a different age. The suspense builds, the characters come alive, and the historical details enrich the tale, immersing readers in a world long past but vividly brought to life on the pages.As the story unfolds,...

This is a deeply-researched true story, a narrative that is etched into the very foundation of a nation. It is a tale of survival against fearsome odds, of how two lost souls fought back against a system that sought to crush them..We begin in the shadowy alleys of early 19th century London, where the smog hung heavy and the weight of injustice and inequality pressed down upon the disenfranchised. The grim reality of the slums intertwined with the harsh conditions of rural England c...

The #1 guide to understanding the "why and how" of fly-by-wire flight control systems. This book is an approachable and easily understandable must-read for aviation professionals!Why don't new aircraft designs allow the pilots a mechanical control connection? This book explains how fly-by-wire fixes the top 5 problems with mechanical controls for high performance aircraft. Rather than describe a particular aircraft’s design with confusing acronyms,...