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From the author of the highly praised The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things comes another captivating history of the seemingly mundane: the book and its storage.

Most of us take for granted that our books are vertical on our shelves with the spines facing out, but Henry Petroski, inveterately curious engineer, didn't.  As a result, readers are guided along the astonishing evolution from papyrus scrolls boxed at Alexandria to upright books shelved at the Library of Congress. Unimpeachably researched, enviably written, and charmed with anecdotes from Seneca to Samuel Pepys to a nineteenth-century bibliophile who had to climb over his books to get into bed, The Book on the Bookshelf is indispensable for anyone who loves books.

Beschrijving van ontstaan en eigenlijk en oneigenlijk gebruik van de term

Belief in a spirit world, and a blissful or agonizing afterlife, is one of the most pervasive and deeply-rooted characteristics of religion. This volume offers a wide-ranging exploration of this basic religious theme. Most of the case studies are drawn from Jewish and Christian tradition, providing in-depth coverage of Judaism and Christianity from late Antiquity through the Medieval period. There are also examples from Islamic, Japanese, and Chinese traditions for a comparative perspective with Western traditions.Several chapters deal with the formative period of Jewish and Christian apocalypticism, which is concerned not only with the end of the physical world but also with the eternal heavenly world. These chapters are also important for illustrating the development of mysticism in Western traditions.

The most distinctive aspect of this book is that it does not deal with antiquity alone, but juxtaposes the historical essays with a survey of modern day, near-death experiences. It raises issues of fundamental importance for the psychology of religion as well as for its history

The most distinctive aspect of this book is that it does not deal with antiquity alone, but juxtaposes the historical essays with a survey of modern day, near-death experiences. It raises issues of fundamental importance for the psychology of religion as well as for its history.

With My Education: A Book of Dreams William S. Burroughs pushes on into new territory, once again committing the unspeakable crime of questioning the reality structure. Dreams have always been a rich source of imagery in Burroughs' work. In this book they are a direct and powerful force. Hundreds of dreams - intense, vivid, visionary - form the spiraling core of a unique and haunting journey into perception. Exploring and embodying Burroughs' provocative ideas on writing, painting, consciousness and creativity, My Education is profoundly personal, and may be as close to a memoir as we will see.

Bloemlezing van gedichten en verhalen over de Watersnoodramp van 1953.

Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere - from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to the death of Princess Diana. In this age of terrorism, the idea of conspiracy can fuel radical or fringe elements to violence. The author, a journalist, sees a pattern among these inflammatory theories. They use similarly murky methods to insinuate their claims: they link themselves to the supposed conspiracies of the past; they carefully manipulate their evidence, to hide its holes; they rely on the authority of dubious academic sources. Most important, they elevate their believers to an elite, a group of people able to see beyond lies to a higher reality. In this book, the author carefully probes and explodes a dozen of the major conspiracy theories. He examines why people believe them, and makes an argument for a true skepticism: one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense--From publisher description.

In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has been in effect. Evaluating his empirical data, Thomas Sowell concludes that race preference programs worldwide have not met expectations and have often produced the opposite of what was originally intended.

In what is both a radical approach to the Bible, and a fundamental return to its narrative prose, Robert Alter reads the Old Testament with new eyes—the eyes of a literary critic. Alter takes the old yet simple step of reading the Bible as a literary creation.

Roger Scruton argues that to understand adequately the roots of Islamic terrorism, one must understand both the unique historical evolution of the state and the dynamic of globalization. Scruton reveals the philosophical and theological roots of the current clash of civilizations. He addresses issues such as the conflict between Islam and secular law, notions of citizenship, fulfilling the human need for belonging, and why globalization provokes such an apparent desire for revenge against the West in some Islamic minds. Scruton's narrative raises fundamental questions about the West's ability to recover and defend its own religious heritage while limiting the harmful effects of its decadent hyper-individualism and the culture of repudiation it has sparked both within its own societies and the societies it touches. Finally, Scruton calls for the West to re-examine some of its assumptions about such matters as immigration, multiculturalism, progress and prosperity.

Nederlanders en Nederland, bezien door de bril van een Amerikaan die geruime tijd in ons land woonde en werkte. Steven Stupp beschrijft in Beneden de zeespiegel zijn weg van ‘cultuurschok’ naar ‘begrip’, van zijn eerste kennismaking met ons ambtelijk apparaat, tot het doorgronden van het even praktische als transcendente concept ‘gezelligheid’. Hij beziet de virtuoze hersenacrobatiek waarmee Nederlanders er onder alle omstandigheden in slagen iets groots in hun kleinheid te ontdekken, vooral bij sportevenementen. Persoonlijke belevenissen en anekdotes, altijd geestig en bij vlagen hilarisch (bijvoorbeeld over de subtiliteit van het leren van een vreemde taal), geven kleur aan zijn verhaal. Wij Nederlanders willen niet veel aannemen van een ander, zeker niet van buitenlanders. Maar toch blijkt dat er graag gelezen wordt over wat men van ons vindt.

aCampos makes his case against the afat killsa dogma with unimpeachable evidence. "The Obesity Myth" should be required reading for every health professional in America. I believe any open-minded person who reads this book will conclude that weave been duped by a pack of self-serving lies. And we cannot get at the truth without first recognizing those lies. "The Obesity Myth" is a great place to start.a aGlenn A. Gaesser, Ph.D., professor and director, Kinesiology Program, University of Virginia

Is your weight hazardous to your health? According to public-health authorities, 65 percent of us are overweight. Every day, we are bombarded with dire warnings about Americaas aobesity epidemic.a Close to half of the adult population is dieting, obsessed with achieving an arbitrary aideal weight.a Yet studies show that a moderately active larger person is likely to be far healthier (and to live longer) than someone who is thin but sedentary. And contrary to what the fifty-billion-dollar-per-year weight-loss industry would have us believe medical science has not yet come up with a way to make people thin.

After years spent scrutinizing medical studies and interviewing leading doctors, scientists, eating- disorder specialists, and psychiatrists, Professor Paul Campos is here to lead the backlash against weight hysteriaaand to show that we can safeguard our health without obsessing about the numbers on the scale. But "The Obesity Myth" is not just a compelling argument, grounded in the latest scientific research; itas also a provocative, wry exposA(c) of the culture that feeds on our self-defeating war on fat. Campos will show:
* How the nationas most prestigious and trusted mediasources consistently misinform the public about obesity
* What the movie industryas love affair with the afat suita tells us about the relationship between racial- and body-based prejudice in America
* How the skinny eliteawith their asupersizeda lifestyles and gas-guzzling SUVsaproject their anxieties about overconsumption on the poorer and heavier underclass
* How weight-loss mania fueled the impeachment of Bill Clinton
In this paradigm-busting read, Professor Campos challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the medical, political, and cultural meaning of weight and brings a rational and compelling new voice to Americaas increasingly irrational weight debate.

Thomas Sowell's indispensable examination of the most popular economic fallacies
In Economic Facts and Fallacies, Thomas Sowell exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues in a lively manner that does not require any prior knowledge of economics. These fallacies include many beliefs widely disseminated in the media and by politicians, such as fallacies about urban problems, income differences, male-female economic differences, as well as economic fallacies about academia, about race, and about Third World countries.
Sowell shows that fallacies are not simply crazy ideas but in fact have a certain plausibility that gives them their staying power--and makes careful examination of their flaws both necessary and important.

Frances Cairncross is the media editor for The Economist magazine. With this book she offers an analysis of the changes taking place in the telecommunications industry and the effects these will have on business and society.

Historisch overzicht van de melkvoorziening en -handel in Nederland, mede aan de hand van interviews, waarbij de nadruk valt op de rol van de familie Menken.

Interviews met 'cultuurdragers' die tijdens de dertiger jaren van de twintigste eeuw actief waren in het culturele leven. Welke gebeurtenissen uit die periode hebben de meeste indruk gemaakt, en wat betekende crisis en politieke onrust voor hen persoonlijk? Onder de geïnterviewden zijn: Max Dendermonde, A.M.W.J. Hammacher, Angèle Manteau, Adriaan Morriën, Rob Nieuwenhuys, Max Nord, Siegfried E. van Praag en Charles Wentinck.

Columns uit de periode eind 1999-begin 2001 over actuele sociale, politieke en economische kwesties.

"Het paard van Troje op het Binnenhof": zo betitelden Johan en Pieter de la Court rond 1660 het Huis van Oranje. De broers staan te boek als de meest radicale republikeinen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis. Op het hoogtepunt van de Gouden Eeuw beheersten ze het publieke debat in Hollandse herbergen en trekschuiten, en hun denken over vrijhandel, democratie en tolerantie had grote invloed op de ontwikkeling van de Verlichting in binnen- en buitenland, van Spinoza tot de Amerikaanse Revolutie. 'De radicale republiek' laat, na driehonderdvijftig jaar, de broers opnieuw aan het woord. Het vertelt hoe twee immigrantenzonen uit Leiden rijk werden in de handel, en met hun provocatieve geschriften het hele land tegen zich in het harnas joegen."--Cover.

Now the subject of a film by Richard Linklater, Eric Schlosser's explosive bestseller Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World tells the story of our love affair with fast food.

Britain eats more fast food than any other country in Europe. It looks good, tastes good, and it's cheap. But the real cost never appears on the menu.

Eric Schlosser visits the lab that re-creates the smell of strawberries; examines the safety records of abattoirs; reveals why the fries really taste so good and what lurks between the sesame buns - and shows how fast food is transforming not only our diets but our world.

'Fast Food Nation has lifted the polystyrene lid on the global fast food industry ... and sparked a storm'
Observer

'Has wiped that smirk off the Happy Meal ... Thanks to this man, you'll never eat a burger again'
Evening Standard

'Startling ... Junk food, we learn, is just that ... left this reader vowing never to set foot in one of those outlets again'
Daily Mail

'This book tells you more than you really want to know when you're chomping on that hamburger ... Have a nice day? Listen - you should live so long'
The Times

Eric Schlosser is a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly. His first book, Fast Food Nation, was a major international bestseller. His work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone and the Guardian. He has received a number of journalistic honours, including a National Magazine Award for an Atlantic Review article on the drug trade, which was later adapted into the book Reefer Madness.

Holidays on Ice is a collection of three previously published stories matched with three newer ones, all, of course, on a Christmas theme. David Sedaris's darkly playful humor is another common thread through the book, worming its way through "Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily out of control, and "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," a vicious theatrical review of children's Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris's best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," the tale of a memorable Christmas during which the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries," Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after the kids have gone to bed. --Ali Davis

Artikelen over ontspanning en vrijetijdsbesteding voor emanciperende arbeiders in de periode 1870-1920. Rond 1870 kon men er niet meer omheen: de arbeidende klasse domineerde stad en samenleving. Er was meer nodig dan politie, kerk, school en spaarbank om de leefwijze van de arbeider onder controle te houden. De arbeider leek staatsburger te worden, maar voldeed nog niet aan het ideaal van de burgerlijke beschaving. Een actieve groep hervormers ging de arbeider stimuleren om zijn vrije tijd op een deugdzame manier door te brengen. Zo hoopten zij de moderne maatschappij harmonieus te houden, de aantrekkingskracht van het socialisme tegen te gaan en de sociale kloof te verkleinen.

De Tweede Kamer veranderde tussen 1866 en 1940 van een debatruimte voor onafhankelijke en vooraanstaande burgers naar een vergaderplaats voor partijgebonden beroepspolitici. "Goede politiek" beschrijft de veranderingen van de parlementaire cultuur in deze periode. Daarbij staan de ideeën van Tweede Kamerleden over de regels van het politieke spel centraal.

From Pulitzer Prize–winner Garry Wills, the story of Augustine’s Confessions

In this brief and incisive book, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills tells the story of the Confessions--what motivated Augustine to dictate it, how it asks to be read, and the many ways it has been misread in the one-and-a-half millennia since it was composed. Following Wills's biography of Augustine and his translation of the Confessions, this is an unparalleled introduction to one of the most important books in the Christian and Western traditions.

Understandably fascinated by the story of Augustine's life, modern readers have largely succumbed to the temptation to read the Confessions as autobiography. But, Wills argues, this is a mistake. The book is not autobiography but rather a long prayer, suffused with the language of Scripture and addressed to God, not man. Augustine tells the story of his life not for its own significance but in order to discern how, as a drama of sin and salvation leading to God, it fits into sacred history. "We have to read Augustine as we do Dante," Wills writes, "alert to rich layer upon layer of Scriptural and theological symbolism." Wills also addresses the long afterlife of the book, from controversy in its own time and relative neglect during the Middle Ages to a renewed prominence beginning in the fourteenth century and persisting to today, when the Confessions has become an object of interest not just for Christians but also historians, philosophers, psychiatrists, and literary critics.

With unmatched clarity and skill, Wills strips away the centuries of misunderstanding that have accumulated around Augustine's spiritual classic.

Reconstructie van een politiek schandaal rond de anti-revolutionaire politicus (1837-1920) die destijds werd beschuldigd van corruptie.

Gebeden en overdenkingen door de Nederlandse kloosterling (1379-1471).

This is not a comforting book -- it is a book about disturbing issues that are urgently important today and enduringly critical for the future. It rejects both "merit" and historical redress as principles for guiding public policy. It shows how "peace" movements have led to war and to needless casualties in those wars. It argues that "equality" is neither right nor wrong, but meaningless.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice shows how confused conceptions of justice end up promoting injustice, how confused conceptions of equality end up promoting inequality, and how the tyranny of social visions prevents many people from confronting the actual consequences of their own beliefs and policies. Those consequences include the steady and dangerous erosion of the fundamental principles of freedom -- and the quiet repeal of the American revolution.

Every country has its own customs, and Holland is no different in this respect. We take a look at some of the cultural customs, complexity and classic confusion in minding your manners in the Netherlands. When (temporarily) moving to another country or another part of the world it is convenient to be more or less familiar with the customs and habits in the new 'home country'. Becoming acquainted with the "do's and don'ts" will present the newcomer with some interesting challenges.