We live in a world of brands. Brands play a crucial role in business competition, but have also become an important social phenomenon. Brands are represented by signs and symbols, gestures and images. They stand for values, hopes, and desires, for experiences and expectations. They evoke emotions and associations. "Branding From A to Z" is a purely visual crash course in the essence and impact of brands, alphabetically pairing symbols with images, so that the "C" of Campbell's Soup is paired with a photograph of Che Guevara; the "D" of Disney with a whimsical portrait of Salvador Dal'; the sign for the Euro with Albert Einstein's mug; McDonald's Golden Arches with Marilyn Monroe, skirt aflutter over a gusting grate; the royal blue "Q" of Q-Tips with the even more royal Queen Elizabeth II; and all the way to the swishy "Z" of Zurich Insurance, paired with Frank Zappa, who sits quizzically upon a toilet.

Brands identify products and services. Yet a brand is much more than a "brand name" or a "brand logo" on a "brand-name product." Brands reflect individual and collective desires that go far beyond a product's utilitarian benefit. Brands are found in every business and in every market. The sense of fascination they evoke is the key to the success of such brands. "Brands & Desires" presents 25 vivid examples of the link between brands and desires, beginning with The Rolling Stones (desire: coolness), and continuing on to include Apple computers (religion), De Beers diamonds (fidelity), Ikea furnishings (growing up), Freitag bags (individuality), Marlborough cigarettes (freedom), Benetton clothing (justice), Red Bull soft drink (action) and Greenpeace (resistance).

China is one of the world's most rapidly changing cultural and economic landscapes which is being transformed from the inside by a new generation of savvy and inspired individuals. Zha collects nuanced and sharply etched profiles of these movers and shakers, capturing both the concrete detail and the epic dimension of life in the world's fastest growing economy through a vivid cast of characters. Deeply engaging, lucid and poignant, Zha's insightful insider-outsider portraits offer a view of China that few have seen outside of the country.

Julie Walters has been described as the nation's most popular actress and comedienne. She has been delighting us on screen and on stage for over 25 years and we have taken her to our hearts. Now she tells us her own story, in her own words. She was born in fifties Birmingham, daughter of an austere Irish Catholic mother. She was sent to school in a convent and from a young age always wanted to be an actress but to appease her mother she first went into nursing. This didn't last for long though and she soon went to join the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. West End success followed, and she quickly replicated her success on film, earning an Academy Award nomination for her role opposite Michael Caine in Educating Rita. Julie's collaborations with her close friend Victoria Wood have given us, among others, the unforgettable character 'Mrs Overall' in Acorn Antiques and Petula in 'dinnerladies', and she's recently charmed a new generation of fans playing Mrs Weasley in the Harry Potter films and alongside Meryl Streep in 'Mamma Mia!', as well as co-starring with Helen Mirren in Calendar Girls. The winner of countless awards, Julie has continued to be in some of Britain's best TV drama and was awarded a CBE for her services to the theatre. A natural writer with an instinctive sense of timing, Julie's memoirs are warm, moving, painfully felt, fiercely intelligent - and totally entertaining.

This collection of 22 essays analyses the Russian military in its social, political, economic, cultural and ideological contexts from 1450 to 1917.The essays are synthetic, and often based on new archival research.

This book, mainly based on primary sources from various countries, provides fascinating new insights into the origin and development of the Admiralty and maritime policy in the Low Countries before the Dutch Revolt, including government interference with maritime strategy, warfare, privateering, prize law, commerce, and fishery.

At the beginning of Mesopotamia s Early Dynastic period, the political landscape was dominated by temple administrators, but by the end of the period, rulers whose titles we translate as king assumed control. This book argues that the ritual process of mourning, burying, and venerating dead elites contributed to this change. Part one introduces the rationale for seeing rituals as a means of giving material form to ideology and, hence, structuring overall power relations. Part two presents archaeological and textual evidence for the death rituals. Part three interprets symbolic objects found in the Royal Cemetery of Ur, showing they reflect ideological doctrines promoting the office of kingship. This book will be particularly useful for scholars of Mesopotamian archaeology and history.

An examination of how the Netherlands combined espionage, deterrence, diplomacy, and economic policy to avoid World War I.