Like the view from a cracked wing mirror, each chapter reveals another sharp reflection of the characters who inhabit the Ails Valley. Revealed in fragments, their lives overlap and intertwine through decades. Humour and tragedy coexist for these unpretentious people, as their lives intersect, collide, fall apart and move on.‘It’s all done with artistry, and with assurance, as though Peter were on his tenth book of fiction instead of his first. He knows exactly what to do, how much...

Jan Opolský has primarily been viewed as an undistinguished hanger-on in the era of Czech literary decadence. Through close reading and detailed analysis of Opolský’s prose, however, Peter Butler argues that, far from his reputation as a literary lackey, Opolský is a master of sustained narrative irony and an accomplished writer in his own right. Beyond Decadence evaluates archival sources and private correspondence between Opolský and other literary figures, and includes a classi...

The importance of polling public opinion is widely recognized today. Indeed, it is sometimes argued that in mass societies, polls have also become an important medium for communicating ideas and beliefs, especially since many people have become less involved in community organizations and interest groups that formerly connected them to events and issues. Polling and Public Opinion examines the impact that polls have on the thoughts and behaviour of the public.Peter M. Butl...

From Apple's iPhone to Uber's ride-sharing service to ChatGPT, over recent decades we've seen 'big ideas' turn the world on its head.Yet what about those big, everyday ideas that can give your business an edge? Those little hinges that swing big doors, each of which can be worth thousands to business owners?You'll find 7 of these ideas inside "The Big Ideas Book," which is based on the three legs of a stool every business needs to thrive: lead generation, systematisation/au...

Owen's Choice is an exciting Halloween adventure story that is part of the CHOICES series. Halfway through the story, Owen has a tough choice to make and you get to choose what Owen will do by selecting one of three choices. Your choice then leads to one of three different story endings. Other books in this interactive series are Andre's Choice, and soon to be released, Bea's Choice.

Not only is 'Erewhon' an adventure story but also Butler's satirical inversion of English customs and philosophy in the 19th century. The explorer Higgs discovers a well organised and civilised country - apparently idyllic. However, the body politic has two ruling obsessions, disease is considered a crime and machinery is seen as a threat to the supremacy of man.In his story Butler identified certain social and industrial conditions which have since become large moral problems. Ever presen...

Donald Fagen will forever be associated with Steely Dan, the band he formed with Walter Becker and four other musicians in 1972.The smooth, radio-friendly veneer of the duo's songs made Steely Dan internationally popular and famous in the 1970s, but the polish glossed over the underlying layers of anger, disappointment, sleaze, and often downright weirdness lurking just beneath the surface. The elliptical lyrics were—and continue to be—an endless source of fascinat...

Peter Evans's biography of Aristotle Onassis, Ari, met with great acclaim when it was published in 1986. Not long after the book appeared, however, Onassis's daughter Christina and his longtime business partner Yannis Georgakis hinted to Evans that he had missed the "real story." "I must begin," Georgakis said, "with the premise that, for Onassis, Bobby Kennedy was unfinished business from way back . . ."His words launched Evans into the heart of a story that tightly bound...

WITH A FOREWORD BY B-REAL OF CYPRESS HILLIn 1987, hip-hop was at a tipping point: coastally, commercially, and creatively. New York City ruled the culture, while its hottest record label Def Jam was king. Yet out in LA, a new crew was ready to challenge for the crown, and their fresh spin would upend the industry as the decade reached its peak.Two Los Angeles dance club DJs, Matt Dike and Mike Ross, started their own independent label in Matt's cramped apar...

Bob Bowman, best known as the coach for the record-breaking run of Michael Phelps, is one of the most successful coaches in Olympic history. He is lauded for his intense personality, incredible dedication to his athletes, and his ability to nurture talent in athletes who have the heart and drive to win. This is his motivational book about winning in all walks of life and what you have to do to get there. He presents ten key concepts that all people should live by. Illuminating his lessons ...

A long-awaited work by one of the deans of Black studiesReginald Butler, the second director of UVA’s Carter G. Woodson Institute, wrote an influential and much-cited but never published dissertation at Johns Hopkins University that focused on community formation among the free Black population of Virginia. His innovative and meticulous research in county and state archives enabled him to reconstruct the ties that bound free Black Virginians to each other and their...

This special issue of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology on Heart Failure covers the entire spectrum of the field, from the current understanding and definitions of heart failure, to epidemiology and the importance of co-morbidities, clinical trial design and biomarkers, as well as imaging technologies. The main focus of this book is to review current and emerging heart failure therapies and potential targets for treatment.