Historie og samfunn

There have been many attempts to build a socialist society, from the Soviet Union to Maoist China to Venezuela. All of them have ended in failure. But, according to socialism's adherents, that is only because none of these experiments were "real socialism". This book documents the history of this response.

Like other Mesoamerican cultures, Aztec myths explained life and death by linking them to the earth, sky and sea in a grand cosmic scheme. This collection explores the history, gods, calendar and tales of this people, from the war god Huitzilopochtli to the supreme deity Tezcatlipoca; from migration legends to the origin myth of the Five Suns.

A fine collection of classic novels, short stories, poems, and essays from distinguished women writers.

Learn the cultural origins of 240 different mythical creatures captured in ten chapters and 100 colorful illustrations, including terrifying bogey monsters as well as benevolent guardians. Meet creatures that symbolize obstacles to overcome, ones that explain the occurrence of disease, some that ward away evil, and others that were created simply for amusement.

The definitive account of the Stonewall Riots, the first gay rights march, and the LGBTQ activists at the center of the movement. "Martin Duberman is a national treasure."-Masha Gessen, The New YorkerOn June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, was raided by police. But instead of responding with the typical compliance the NYPD expected, patrons and a growing crowd decided to fight back. The five days of rioting that ensued changed forever the face of gay and lesbian life.In Stonewall, renowned historian and activist Martin Duberman tells the full story of this pivotal moment in history. With riveting narrative skill, he re-creates those revolutionary, sweltering nights in vivid detail through the lives of six people who were drawn into the struggle for LGBTQ rights. Their stories combine to form an unforgettable portrait of the repression that led up to the riots, which culminates when they triumphantly participate in the first gay rights march of 1970, the roots of today's pride marches. Fifty years after the riots, Stonewall remains a rare work that evokes with a human touch an event in history that still profoundly affects life today.

Secularism, the belief that religion should not be part of the affairs of the state or part of public education, is an increasingly hot topic in global public, political, and religious debates. Andrew Copson tells the story of secularism, discussing secular republics and the challenges they can face from resurgent religious identity politics.

(new edition) The history and evolution of the battleship, an international directory of 150 ships, with specifications, and illustrated with 500 photographs.

_______________'Insightful ... Avoiding both modern conceits and romantic fantasies, Suzman chronicles how economics and politics have finally conquered some of the last outposts of hunter-gatherers, and how much humankind can still learn from the disappearing way of life of the most marginalized communities on earth.' - Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens and Homo Deus'Fascinating' - Sunday Times'Elegant and absorbing' - Financial Times'Profoundly moving' - Irish Times_______________From acclaimed anthropologist James Suzman, a portrait of the 'original affluent society' - the Bushmen of southern Africa - and what their way of life can teach us today.What can we learn from the Bushmen? If the success of a civilisation is measured by its endurance over time, then the Bushmen of the Kalahari are by far the most successful in human history. Anthropologist James Suzman spent twenty-five years in Southern Africa documenting their way of life and encounters with modern society, gathering invaluable lessons about work, wealth, happiness, equality and time.'To know what it is like to live as people lived for most of human history, you would have to find one of the places where traditional hunting-and-gathering practices are still alive.Fortunately for us, the anthropologist James Suzman did exactly that.The news here is that the lives of most of our progenitors were better than we think. We're flattering ourselves by believing that their existence was so grim and that our modern, civilized one is, by comparison, so great.' - John Lancaster, The New Yorker

Originally published in 1812, the fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm are malevolent and dark, and certainly not for the faint-hearted. This book features some of the lesser-known stories alongside favourites like Snow White, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and Hansel and Gretel.

This book provides students, researchers, and practitioners of speechwriting with a unique insight in the theory, history, and practice of speechwriting.

More true tales of amazing boys who found the courage to be themselves, and achieved something remarkable at the same time.

"The people in these photographs had no walls up. They just accepted me and permitted me to take their photographs without any self-consciousness." -Roy DeCaravaThe Sweet Flypaper of Life is a "poem" about ordinary people, about teenagers around a jukebox, about children at an open fire hydrant, about riding the subway alone at night, about picket lines and artist work spaces. This renowned, life-affirming collaboration between artist Roy DeCarava and writer Langston Hughes honors in words and pictures what the authors saw, knew, and felt deeply about life in their city. Hughes's heart-warming description of Harlem in the late 1940s and early 1950s is seen through the eyes of one grandmother, Sister Mary Bradley. As she guides the reader through the lives of those around her, we imagine the babies born, families in struggle, children yet flourishing. We experience the sights and sounds of Harlem as seen through her learned and worldly eyes, expressed here through Hughes's poetic prose. As she states, "I done got my feet caught in the sweet flypaper of life and I'll be dogged if I want to get loose." DeCarava's photographs lay open a world of sense and feeling that begins with his perception and vision. The ruminations go beyond the limit of simple observation and contend with deeper meanings to reveal these individuals as subjects worthy of art. While Hughes states "We've had so many books about how bad life is, maybe it's time to have one showing how good it is," the photographs bring us back to this lively dialogue and a complex reality, to a resolution that stands with the optimism of the photographic medium and the certainty of DeCarava's artistic moment. In 1952 DeCarava became the first African American photographer to win a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. The one-year grant enabled DeCarava to focus full time on the photography he had been creating since the mid-1940s and to complete a project that would eventually result in The Sweet Flypaper of Life, a moving, photo-poetic work in the urban setting of Harlem. DeCarava compiled a set of images from which Hughes chose 141 and adeptly supplied a fictive narration, reflecting on life in that city-within-a-city. First published in 1955, the book, widely considered a classic of photographic visual literature, was reprinted by public demand several times. This fourth printing, the Heritage Edition, is the first authorized English-language edition since 1983 and includes an afterword by Sherry Turner DeCarava tracing the history and ongoing importance of this book.

Fans of the uberpopular 2004 movie and 2018 Broadway musical will love these Mean Girls Magnets, which are a fetch, grool homage to the cult classic.

Another Day In The Life is introduced and narrated by Ringo Starr, with forewords by legendary movie director David Lynch and rock photographer Henry Diltz. Ringo shows us the world as seen through a Starr's eyes, in more than 500 observational photographs and rare images from the archives, and an original text of nearly 13,000 words.

Zweites Buch is an unedited transcript of Adolf Hitler's thoughts on foreign policy written in 1928, it was written after Mein Kampf and was not published in his lifetime. Now, these historical documents give an insight into the mind (and intentions) of one of the most famous political figures of the 20th Century. A fascinating read and great source of material for students and history buffs alike.

In this groundbreaking book, leading Arab and Jewish intellectuals examine how and why the Holocaust and the Nakba are interlinked without blurring fundamental differences between them. It searches for a new historical and political grammar for relating and narrating their complicated intersections.

This new volume in the prestigious, beautifully presented Book of Samurai series offers an unparalleled understanding of a historical samurai's armour, weaponry and military tactics.

The very first full-text edition of the Revised New Jerusalem Bible (RNJB) - a Bible for study and proclamation. This volume contains the entire biblical text with a comprehensive set of study notes, cross references and book introductions.

This lavish title presents the best work of Ira "Iraville" Sluyterman van Langewedye, a popular illustrator beloved for her idyllic paintings.

In the tradition of Zachary Mason's bestselling first novel, The Lost Books of the Odyssey - where he recast episodes from Homer's masterpiece - Metamorphica now reimagines Ovid's epic poem of endless transformation, Metamorphoses.

Whether you want to dash off a limerick, ponder a sonnet or plot an epic poem, this write-in activity book is here to help. Each page is bursting with tips and inspiration for writing all kinds of poems - and inventing brand new styles too. With links to websites where you can listen to the poems in this book, and find more helpful writing tips.

Sea Prayer, a profoundly moving work by the acclaimed author Khaled Hosseini, was published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. This poignant tale belongs to the genre of contemporary fiction, and it beautifully encapsulates the raw human emotions of love, fear, and hope. Sea Prayer is an intimate exploration of a father's love for his son, set against the backdrop of a world that is teetering on the brink of chaos and destruction. It is a stirring tribute to the millions of families, like the story's protagonist, who have been splintered and displaced by war and persecution. The author's evocative narrative and the publisher's commitment to quality make this book a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the human aspect of global conflicts. Sea Prayer is a testament to the power of storytelling and the resilience of the human spirit.

A landmark anthology of the masterpieces of Greek drama, featuring all-new, highly accessible translations of some of the world’s most beloved plays, including Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound, Bacchae, Electra, Medea, Antigone, and Oedipus the KingFeaturing translations by Emily Wilson, Frank Nisetich, Sarah Ruden, Rachel Kitzinger, Mary Lefkowitz, and James Romm The great plays of Ancient Greece are among the most enduring and important legacies of the Western world. Not only is the influence of Greek drama palpable in everything from Shakespeare to modern television, the insights contained in Greek tragedy have shaped our perceptions of the nature of human life. Poets, philosophers, and politicians have long borrowed and adapted the ideas and language of Greek drama to help them make sense of their own times.This exciting curated anthology features a cross section of the most popular—and most widely taught—plays in the Greek canon. Fresh translations into contemporary English breathe new life into the texts while capturing, as faithfully as possible, their original meaning. This outstanding collection also offers short biographies of the playwrights, enlightening and clarifying introductions to the plays, and helpful annotations at the bottom of each page. Appendices by prominent classicists on such topics as “Greek Drama and Politics,” “The Theater of Dionysus,” and “Plato and Aristotle on Tragedy” give the reader a rich contextual background. A detailed time line of the dramas, as well as a list of adaptations of Greek drama to literature, stage, and film from the time of Seneca to the present, helps chart the history of Greek tragedy and illustrate its influence on our culture from the Roman Empire to the present day. With a veritable who’s who of today’s most renowned and distinguished classical translators, The Greek Plays is certain to be the definitive text for years to come.Praise for The Greek Plays“Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm deftly have gathered strong new translations from Frank Nisetich, Sarah Ruden, Rachel Kitzinger, Emily Wilson, as well as from Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm themselves. There is a freshness and pungency in these new translations that should last a long time. I admire also the introductions to the plays and the biographies and annotations provided. Closing essays by five distinguished classicists—the brilliant Daniel Mendelsohn and the equally skilled David Rosenbloom, Joshua Billings, Mary-Kay Gamel, and Gregory Hays—all enlightened me. This seems to me a helpful light into our gathering darkness.”—Harold Bloom

Taking his title from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Sven Lindqvist traces Europe's dark history in Africa in the form of a travel diary and a historical examination of European imperialism and racism over the past two centuries.

A respected teacher presents the core and essential wisdom of Tibet and shows us the possibilities of "enlightenment in this present life" through the meditative practice of Pure Awareness. Perhaps the most precious teaching Tibet has to offer the modern world is the practice of meditation. Reginald Ray presents the essence of this tradition through the somatic practice of Pure Awareness—a unique kind of meditation that is thoroughly grounded in the body and in ordinary experience. This fundamentally transformative practice offers the possibility of enlightenment in this present life and invites us into the immensely powerful journey that Tibetan tantric spirituality has to offer. Includes a link to a free download of audio meditations.