The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles i...

19th Century London in all its weird and grimy glory. Reality is peeling slowly away like an old circus fly-poster. The clock is ticking towards the City's doom, but it will come in a stranger guise than you, in your wildest literary fever dreams, could ever conceive of . . .Enter, if you dare, the puzzle-box story of Victorian magician-detective Edward Moon and his silent side-kick the Somnambulist. Follow them as they spiral deep into a world of secret societies, a travelling cir...

Mischief, Magic, Love and War.It is the Year of Our Lord 1601. The Tuscan War rages across the world, and every lord from Navarre to Illyria is embroiled in the fray. Cannon roar, pikemen clash, and witches stalk the night; even the fairy courts stand on the verge of chaos.Five stories come together at the end of the war: that of bold Miranda and sly Puck; of wise Pomona and her prisoner Vertumnus; of gentle Lucia and the shade of Prospero; of noble Don Ped...

Aristotle was the first philosopher in the Western tradition to address politics systematically and empirically, and he remains a central figure in political theory. This essential volume presents Aristotle's complete political writings—including his Politics, Economics, and *Constitution of Athens—*in their most authoritative translations, taken from the complete works that is universally recognized as the standard English edition. Edited by Jonathan Barnes, one of the w...

Flamboyant Matthew Cannonbridge was touched by genius, the most influential mind of the 19th century, a novelist, playwright, the poet of his generation. The only problem is, he should never have existed, and recently divorced 21st century don Toby Judd is the only person to realise something is wrong with history.Cannonbridge was everywhere: he was by Lake Geneva when talk between Byron, Shelley and Mary Godwin turned to the supernatural; he was friend to the young Dickens as he la...

Flamboyant Matthew Cannonbridge was touched by genius, the most influential mind of the 19th century, a novelist, playwright, the poet of his generation. The only problem is, he should never have existed, and recently divorced 21st century don Toby Judd is the only person to realise something is wrong with history.Cannonbridge was everywhere: he was by Lake Geneva when talk between Byron, Shelley and Mary Godwin turned to the supernatural; he was friend to the young Dickens as he la...

With constant strains on the eyes from use of computers, devices and the ordinary stresses of modern life, the Bates method is more relevant than ever. In Improve Your Eyesight Jonathan Barnes has re-interpreted this classic self-help technique for a new generation.Developed by Dr William Bates in 1919, the Bates method is a series of exercises and everyday techniques to incorporate into your life that corrects all the common eye problems: short-sight, long-sight, astigmat...

A young man discovers a manuscript and so begins a bizarre tale that brings together his grandfather, every conspiracy theory you've ever heard about the royal family and the true story about where the power of Number 10 really lies.Readers of The Somnambulist may well recoginise the characters kept within a chalk circle in a cellar beneath Downing Street.With a gallery of vividly grotesque characters, a gleefully satiric take on modern life and a playful and highly literat...

The Presocratics were the founding fathers of the Western philosophical tradition, and the first masters of rational thought. This volume provides a comprehensive and precise exposition of their arguments, and offers a rigorous assessment of their contribution to philosophical thought.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the historical, political, economic, cultural, and social evolution of African societies, examining their transitions from precolonial times through the impacts of colonialism to the present-day challenges and opportunities of the postcolonial era. It delves into Africa's rich and diverse traditions, addressing the complexities of modernity, globalization, and the enduring effects of colonialism that continue to shape the continent. The chapt...

Aristotle's Politics is widely recognized as one of the classics of the history of political philosophy, and like every other such masterpiece, it is a work about which there is deep division. Many readers of Aristotle are uncertain whether his Politics has any contribution to make to contemporary debates about political life and political theory. The essays in this volume aim to address, implicitly or explicitly, this very question about the relevance of Arisotle's think...

Aristotle's moral philosophy is a pillar of Western ethical thought. It bequeathed to the world an emphasis on virtues and vices, happiness as well-being or a life well lived, and rationally motivated action as a mean between extremes. Its influence was felt well beyond antiquity into the Middle Ages, particularly through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. In the past century, with the rise of virtue theory in moral philosophy, Aristotle’s ethics has been revived as a source of insight an...