Best of
Modern

2006

The Night Stalkers: Top Secret Missions of the U.S. Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment


Michael J. Durant - 2006
     In his first book, Michael Durant told his harrowing tale of being shot down in his Blackhawk over Mogadishu and held captive by a Somali warlord. It was a remarkable account, particularly because Special Operations pilots are notoriously reticent-they don't talk about their missions, at least not to anyone outside their small community. But now, with the publication of "The Night Stalkers," Durant and Steven Hartov shed a fascinating light on these mysterious super commandos and take readers into a world they have only imagined. From Iran to Grenada to Iraq, the 160th SOAR (A) has been at the point of the spear and in the thick of combat, delivering and supporting Delta operators, Rangers, and SEAL teams to any target, at any point on the globe, in all weather-night or day. Simply put, they are the best of the best, and here for the first time are their hair-raising true stories of battle, capture, victory, and loss.

Trust Nobody


June Hampson - 2006
    While Kenny serves time in jail for robbery, Daisy looks out for pretty 16-year-old Suze and, with escort Vera in tow, the three women form a strong and lasting bond.The Lane brothers suffered a violent childhood, but Eddie took the brunt of the beatings. He has grown into a handsome, resourceful man - but also a villain with a vicious streak that leads him to commit acts of terrifying violence to get his way.But hard man Eddie has an Achilles heel - Daisy. She resists him, but when her visits to Kenny in jail become more and more difficult, it is Eddie she turns to for support. When Eddie pulls a racket too far, venturing into the patch of a villain who is even harder and more territorial than he is, Daisy discovers the hard way she can trust nobody. Even the man she loves the most . . . If you like books by Jessie Keane, Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole, you'll love Trust Nobody: the first novel in the Daisy Lane thriller series.Why readers love June Hampson's thrillers:'A cracking story' - THE BOOKSELLER'A great alternative to Martina Cole' - Amazon reviewer'If you like gritty, hard hitting drama then I would highly recommend this' - Amazon reviewer'This book is an emotional rollercoaster full of grit, violence, sadness, warmth, emotion and love' - Goodreads reviewer

747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation


Joe Sutter - 2006
    It was a thrilling era of open cockpits, silk scarves, leather helmets, and goggles. After serving in World War II, Sutter joined Boeing, then a small company, eager to build airplanes.In July 1965, he was asked to lead the large Boeing team designing the new 747. Pan Am wanted a new airliner as quickly as possible. This all-new transport had to be far bigger than anything in service or even on anybody's drawing board. To make it fly, Sutter and his team would have to push far beyond the technological boundaries of the late 1960s. Could it be done?Almost everything about the 747 would be unprecedented. Its cabin would be so wide that it would need two aisles. Its horizontal tail would be bigger than the wings of most airliners ever built. Jet engines big enough to lift it off the ground didn't yet exist. Runways at the world's airports couldn't handle it, and neither could Boeing's factories. They had to erect the world's largest building just to produce it. A truly mammoth undertaking, the 747 became one of the most successful airplane models ever.Sutter's vivid narrative takes us back to a time when American technology was cutting-edge -- the 747 came on the market the same year that men first set foot on the moon -- and jet travel was still glamorous and new. With wit and warmth, he gives an insider's sense of the larger-than-life-size personalities -- and the tensions -- in the aeronautical world. Ultimately, 747 is an inspiring story of grit and glory.

Kaitlyn


Kevin Lewis - 2006
    . . Though the two year-old survives the brutal attack by his drunken father, his older sister Kaitlyn is convinced it's all her fault. Christopher is taken into care and never returns to the family home on the notorious Roxford estate in South London. But the bond between the siblings remains strong, and as Kaitlyn gets older she dreams of a new life away from the violence of the estate and her mother's dangerous addictions. But most of all, she dreams of being reunited with her little brother. Will Kaitlyn's dreams ever come true? And if they do, could they really turn into a nightmare? Kaitlyn is the heart-rending story of a family ripped apart by tragedy and reunited by a twist of fate that threatens to destroy all their lives and of a girl who has to choose between everything she has worked for, and the only family she has ever known.

Roughneck Nine-One: The Extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-Team at War


Frank Antenori - 2006
    In an already legendary conflict that will influence US Army doctrine for years to come, the Green Berets stopped an enemy unit that included battle tanks and more than 150 well-trained, well-equipped, and well-commanded soldiers. Any normal American light infantry unit finding itself outnumbered over five to one and outgunned on the ground by such a heavily armored force would have turned and run for cover. But Green Berets don't like to run and Nine One Don't Run was Antenori's team's motto from the very beginning. In a spectacular fight, they battled Iraqi tanks and personnel until only a handful of Iraqi survivors finally fled the battlefield.In the process, Nine One encountered hordes of news media, and at the peak of the fight, a US Navy F-14 dropped a 500-pound bomb in the middle of a group of supporting Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, killing and wounding dozens. This is the never-before-told, unsanitized, unedited story of the fight for the crossroads at Debecka, Iraq, and a unique inside look at a Special Forces A-Team as it recruits and organizes, trains for combat, and eventually fights a battle against a huge opposing force in Iraq.Roughneck Nine One is a powerful look inside a Special Forces A-Team and its dramatic and controversial battle against a huge opposing force, and a revealing story of the role of Special Forces in the ongoing war in Iraq.

The Seduction of His Wife


Janet Chapman - 2006
     Alex Knight is dead -- or so everyone thinks. A widowed logger baron with a risk-taking streak, he took on a South American engineering project and was reported dead after a rebel attack. So when he turns up back in Maine very much alive, his grieving family is shocked. But the biggest shock is Alex's, when he discovers he's now married -- to a woman he's never met. Sarah Banks is ready for a change from running a quiet Bed & Breakfast, and working for the Knight family offers not only a bigger opportunity, but also the family life she yearns for. So she's glad to help secure custody of Alex's orphaned children, whom she's come to love, by marrying their father by proxy before he's legally declared dead. But when Alex returns, the sexy, determined woodsman upends all of Sarah's plans. Because suddenly she's married to a passionate stranger with an easy smile...and tumbling headlong into a fiery dance of seduction.

Love in the Present Tense


Catherine Ryan Hyde - 2006
    Life has given her every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbor Mitch with watching Leonard while she goes off to work. Then one day Pearl drops her son off…and never returns. They are an unlikely pair: Mitch is a young, unattached business owner, and Leonard is a precocious, five-year-old boy. But together they must find a way to move forward in the wake of Pearl’s unexplained disappearance. Their bond as parent and child shifts and endures, even as Mitch must eventually surrender Leonard to a two-parent home.Is it possible to love the people who can’t always be there for us? The answers will surprise and move you. As their lives unfold, profound questions emerge about the nature of love and family. Ultimately, this novel’s richest reward is watching Mitch and Leonard grow up together, through the power and the magic of the human heart.

Daughters of Fire


Barbara Erskine - 2006
    Two thousand years ago, as the Romans invade Britannia, the princess who will become the powerful queen of the great tribe of the Brigantes, watches the enemies of her people come ever closer. Cartimandua's world is, from the start, a maelstrom of love and conflict; revenge and retribution. In the present day, Edinburgh-based historian, Viv Lloyd Rees, has immersed herself in the legends surrounding the Celtic queen. She has written a book and is working on a dramatisation of the young queen's life with the help of actress, Pat Hebden. Cartimandua's life takes one unexpected turn after another as tragedy changes the course of her future. But the young queen has formidable enemies - among them Venutios, her childhood sparring partner, and Medb, a woman whose jealousy threatens not only her happiness but her life. Viv's Head of Department, Hugh Graham, hounds her as she struggles to hide her visions of Cartimandua and her conviction that they are real. Her obsession grows ever more persistent and threatening as she takes possession of an ancient brooch that carries a curse. Both Pat and Hugh are drawn into this dual existence of bitter rivalry and overwhelming love as past envelopes present and the trio find themselves facing the greatest danger of their lives.

The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry


George Walter - 2006
    This newly edited anthology reflects the diverse experiences of those who lived through the war, bringing together the words of poets, soldiers, and civilians affected by the conflict. Here are famous verses by Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen; poetry by women writing from the home front; and the anonymous lyrics of soldiers' songs. Arranged thematically, the selections take the reader through the war's stages, from conscription to its aftermath, and offer a blend of voices that is both unique and profoundly moving.

Stranger Than Fiction: The Shooting Script


Zach Helm - 2006
    Starring WillFerrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah,and Emma Thompson, Stranger Than Fiction is a heartfelt film,perhaps a comedy, perhaps a tragedy, about love and literatureand death and taxes.

Spinoza's 'Ethics': An Introduction


Steven Nadler - 2006
    It presents, in Spinoza's famous 'geometric method', his radical views on God, Nature, the human being, and happiness. In this wide-ranging 2006 introduction to the work, Steven Nadler explains the doctrines and arguments of the Ethics, and shows why Spinoza's endlessly fascinating ideas may have been so troubling to his contemporaries, as well as why they are still highly relevant today. He also examines the philosophical background to Spinoza's thought and the dialogues in which Spinoza was engaged - with his contemporaries (including Descartes and Hobbes), with ancient thinkers (especially the Stoics), and with his Jewish rationalist forebears. His book is written for the student reader but will also be of interest to specialists in early modern philosophy.

The Cubicle Next Door


Siri L. Mitchell - 2006
    She turns to her online journal to vent and eventually to express growing feelings toward this office neighbor who is everything she is not--fun, happy, and social.But when her blog is featured as a top pick on primetime news, everyone reads it--including Joe. Will he figure out the words of adoration and confusion are written about him? And will Jackie ever risk expressing her heart offline?

The Great Modern Poets: An Anthology of the Best Poets and Poetry Since 1900


Michael Schmidt - 2006
    Over 100 complete and unabridged poems are accompanied by a concise text that provides insight, observations, and a historical context for each poet and their work.

Keeping Christmas


B.J. Daniels - 2006
    But after uncovering a dark family secret that cast suspicion on everyone close to her, she took off for a new life and never looked back.Chance Walker was the cool-eyed cowboy hired to bring her home by Christmas. But after catching her, he couldn't decide if she was a blackmailer or a victim. Was he tempted to protect her because she told the truth--or was he falling for her? Holed up in a remote Montana cabin with the bad guys closing in, two stubborn souls needed to trust each other if they hoped to survive the season.

Hunger and Temptation


Patrice Michelle - 2006
    In order to meet her Great-aunt Sally's will stipulation to 'handle the sale personally,' Jena Hudson visits Texas to finalize the sale of her aunt's ranch to her neighbor, Harm Steele. What Jena didn't expect was to fall for the rugged, sexy cowboy. Harm might find Jena to be the most sensual creature he's ever met, but he won't let her sultry body be more than a satisfying distraction. He learned a long time ago that happily-ever-afters are best left for childhood fantasies. So what's a girl to do when she finds out the man of her dreams doesn't believe in a happy ending? Well, given the right set of circumstances...she'll create one for him.Bad in Boots - Ty's Temptation By Patrice Michelle Book 2 in the Bad In Boots series. Ty Hudson never expected a trip to Texas for his sister's wedding would turn into a lesson in patience...of the sensual kind. When a sexy cowgirl ties him up then offers a suggestive proposal, Ty's more than willing to accommodate her, but only on his terms. Evan Masters has always lived her life one step ahead of most people. So she's surprised when she's faced with an intelligent, seductive, tightly controlled man who agrees to show her the ropes in the one area of her life she's yet to tread. Ty might insist on doing things his way-slow and easy-but the more he prolongs their sensual dance, the more Evan wants to show him just how satisfying letting go and giving in to their desires can be. As the sexual heat and anticipation between them builds to a boiling point, Ty discovers that his own personal ""Eve"" is more temptation than he can resist. Note: Even though Ty's Temptation is part of a series, it can be read separately.

Three Wishes / The Last Anniversary


Liane Moriarty - 2006
    The Last Anniversary is her second novel. Her first novel, Three Wishes, was published in seven countries.

Burning Dreams


Susan Smith - 2006
    Set in the drag underworld of Buffalo, 'Burning Dreams' chronicles the challenges faced by a young drag king and an older woman who share a love 'outside the bounds'.

Не кысь


Tatyana Tolstaya - 2006
    This book is lyrical, witty, ironical, and touched by nostalgia for childhood. It's a pure delight.

On Earth


Robert Creeley - 2006
    When Robert Creeley died in March 2005, he was working on what was to be his final book of poetry. In addition to more than thirty new poems, many touching on the twin themes of memory and presence, this moving collection includes the text of the last paper Creeley gave—an essay exploring the late verse of Walt Whitman. Together, the essay and the poems are a retrospective on aging and the resilience of memory that includes tender elegies to old friends, the settling of old scores, and reflective poems on mortality and its influence on his craft. On Earth reminds us what has made Robert Creeley one of the most important and affectionately regarded poets of our time.

Matters of Life & Death


Bernard MacLaverty - 2006
    It is the finest collection yet from a contemporary master of the form.Beginning with the sudden terror of a family caught up in shocking sectarian violence, and ending with the whiteout of an Iowa blizzard and the fear of losing your way very far from home, this collection is about bonds made and broken, secret and known. In the extraordinary story "Up the Coast," a landscape painter discovers a place that makes her, finally, feel whole, only to have that communion shattered by an arbitrary act of aggression that will resonate throughout her life.Written with effortless skill and empathy, these stories are hauntingly real. MacLaverty's perfect attention to every detail, every nuance of idiom and character, remakes the world for us here on the page.

Carnal Heat (The Chronicles of Stella Rice, #2))


Adrienne Kama - 2006
    In an ironic twist of fate Stella, the woman who started the year committed to the ideal of giving up men, has managed to acquire not one, but two very sexy, very domineering lovers. And to Stella's delight, both men are committed to making her innermost fantasies a reality. But just when Stella begins to think she is the luckiest of women, her ultra conservative mother demands to know who her daughter has been entertaining into the wee hours of the night. Between nights of erotic play with her lovers and days spent shopping with her girlfriends, Stella must decide if she cares enough about the new men in her life to risk letting them meet her family. Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, mild bdsm, m/m sexuality, and some situations which could be offensive to sensitive readers.

The Fiction: Complete and Unabridged


O. Henry - 2006
    Henry wrote more than two hundred short stories that have become staples of American literature. His slice-of-life tales of ordinary men and women struggling to cope with the incongruous circumstances of life often ended with an ironic or amusing twist that became his trademark.This literary omnibus reprints all of the short fiction published in his thirteen story collections - masterpieces that run the emotional gamut from comedy to pathos and that include "The Gift of the Magi", "The Cop and the Anthem," "Mammon and Archer," "A Retrieved Reformation," and "The Ransom of Red Chief."O. Henry: The Fiction is part of Barnes & Noble's Library of Essential Writers. Each title in the series presents the finest works - complete and unabridged - from one of the greatest writers in literature in magnificent, elegantly designed hard-back editions. Every volume also includes an original introduction that provides the reader with enlightening information on the writer's life and works.

The Affected Provincial's Companion, Vol. 1


Breaulove Swells Whimsy - 2006
    A diverse and hilarious collection of treatises, insightful essays, philosophical diagrams, saucy poetry and other amusing trifles, The Affected Provincial's Companion will inspire you to transform yourself into a living work of art, thus setting you upon a course towards that misty, faraway shore known to the ancients as Enchantment.The perils of sportswear, self-defense for sissies, the proper grooming of facial hair, and how to become a bon vivant—all this and much more may be found between the shimmering covers of this sleek and utterly beguiling volume.

The Penguin Novels


Andrey Kurkov - 2006
    Although he would prefer to write short stories, he earns a living composing obituaries for a newspaper. He longs to see his work published, yet the subjects of his obituaries continue to cling to life. But when he opens the newspaper to find his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. Viktor and Misha's ensuing adventures with the Mafia lead to their separation and Viktor is forced to embark on a dangerous quest to recover his lost pet.

The Emergence Of A Scientific Culture: Science And The Shaping Of Modernity, 1210-1685


Stephen Gaukroger - 2006
    Rejecting the traditional picture of secularization, he argues that science in the seventeenth century emerged not in opposition to religion but rather was in many respects driven by it. Moreover, science did not present a unified picture of nature but was an unstable field of different, often locally successful but just as often incompatible, programmes. To complicate matters, much depended on attempts to reshape the persona of the natural philosopher, and distinctive new notions of objectivity and impartiality were imported into natural philosophy, changing its character radically by redefining the qualities of its practitioners.The West's sense of itself, its relation to its past, and its sense of its future, have been profoundly altered since the seventeenth century, as cognitive values generally have gradually come to be shaped around scientific ones. Science has not merely brought a new set of such values to the task of understanding the world and our place in it, but rather has completely transformed the task, redefining the goals of enquiry. This distinctive feature of the development of a scientific culture in the West marks it out from other scientifically productive cultures. In The Emergence of a Scientific Culture, Stephen Gaukroger offers a detailed and comprehensive account of the formative stages of this development--and one which challenges the received wisdom that science was seen to be self-evidently the correct path to knowledge and that the benefits of science were immediately obvious to the disinterested observer.

The Porcupinity of the Stars


Gary Barwin - 2006
    As the Utne Reader has noted, what makes this work 'so compelling is Barwin’s balance of melancholy with wide-eyed wonder.' The Porcupinity of the Stars sees the always bemused and wistful poet reaching into new and deeper territory, addressing the joys and vagaries of perception in poems touching on family, loss, wonder, and the shifting, often perplexing nature of consciousness. His Heisenbergian sensibility honed to a fine edge, the poems in this bright, bold and intensely visual book add a surreptitious intensity and wry maturity to Barwin’s trademark gifts for subtle humour, solemn delight, compassion, and invention.

Husserl


David Woodruff Smith - 2006
    In subsequent chapters he covers Husserl’s logic, metaphysics, realism and transcendental idealism, and epistemology. Finally, he assesses the significance and implications of Husserl’s work for contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science.Including a timeline, glossary and extensive suggestions for further reading, Husserl is essential reading for anyone interested in this eminent philosopher, phenomenology or twentieth-century philosophy.

Things Beyond Resemblance: Collected Essays on Theodor W. Adorno


Robert Hullot-Kentor - 2006
    Adorno was a major twentieth-century philosopher and social critic whose writings on oppositional culture in art, music, and literature increasingly stand at the center of contemporary intellectual debate. In this excellent collection, Robert Hullot-Kentor, widely regarded as the most distinguished American translator and commentator on Adorno, gathers together sixteen essays he has written about the philosopher over the past twenty years.The opening essay, "Origin Is the Goal," pursues Adorno's thesis of the dialectic of enlightenment to better understand the urgent social and political situation of the United States. "Back to Adorno" examines Adorno's idea that sacrifice is the primordial form of human domination; "Second Salvage" reconstructs Adorno's unfinished study of the transformation of music in radio transmission; and "What Is Mechanical Reproduction" revisits Adorno's criticism of Walter Benjamin. Further essays cover a broad range of topics: Adorno's affinities with Wallace Stevens and Nabokov, his complex relationship with Kierkegaard and psychoanalysis, and his critical study of popular music.Many of these essays have been revised, with new material added that emphasizes the relevance of Adorno's thought to the United States today. Things Beyond Resemblance is a timely and richly analytical collection crucial to the study of critical theory, aesthetics, continental philosophy, and Adorno.

The (Strangest) Song: One Father's Quest to Help His Daughter Find Her Voice


Teri Sforza - 2006
    Interweaving science and the personal in a compelling narrative, author Teri Sforza follows the quest of biochemistry professor Howard Lenhoff to help his mentally handicapped daughter, Gloria. From his discovery of Gloria’s outstanding vocal talent and innate musical gifts, Lenhoff becomes convinced that people with her disorder have an unusual capacity for learning music, despite their profound mental disabilities. Lenhoff is at first rebuffed, called obsessive, and finally vindicated when scientists—and his own formal research—confirm his hunch.Williams syndrome is a rare genetic aberration that occurs once in every 7,500 births. It springs from a peculiar mishap on the molecular level, a tiny chemical error, but one that exacts an enormous toll on body, brain, and personality. The result is an atypical body and a profoundly asymmetrical mind. Thanks to Howard Lenhoff’s single-minded determination and love for his daughter, he succeeds in helping his daughter beyond his wildest dreams. Gloria’s talents take her to a concert at Washington’s Kennedy Center and a number of classical recordings. Lenhoff also helps establish the first residential college for mentally disabled musicians in Massachusetts. An inspiring blend of human interest and breakthrough science, The Strangest Song offers startling insights into the mysteries of the brain and hope that science can find new ways to help the handicapped.

Midnight Angel


Betsy Ann St. Amant - 2006
    A chance encounter with a mysterious German stranger sets her on a path that will bring her more happiness…and danger than she thought possible. Carsten Erlichman can’t forget the woman he nicknames his angel. Madison’s beauty shines both inside and out. Their chance meeting under the stars is the perfect setting. But one delicate kiss and twelve gongs from the clock tower later, Madison is forced to leave, and he fears they’ll never cross paths again. But God has a way of working out the most complex of problems.A Deliberate AccidentMadison collects angel figurines as a means of feeding her most precious memory. Little does she know that her collection will tangle her in a web of lies and danger. When Carsten appears at her office offering a renewed relationship and strong protection, she relishes the opportunity to finally get to know the man who stole her heart one chilly evening in Germany. But Carsten is harboring a secret, and Madison must discover the truth about her father, her faith—and Carsten before the clock strikes midnight again.

Old Testament Theology: Israel's Faith (Vol. 2)


John E. Goldingay - 2006
    The award-winning first volume, Old Testament Theology: Israel's Gospel, followed the story line of the First Testament, developing its narrative theology. This volume finds its point of departure in the Prophets, Psalms and Wisdom literature, where we encounter a more discursive thinking that is closer to traditional theology. Whereas the first volume followed the epochal divine acts of Israel's "gospel" narrative, here Goldingay sets out the faith of Israel under the major rubrics of God Israel The Nightmare The Vision The World The Nations Humanity In a style that cleaves closely to the text, Goldingay offers up a masterful exposition of the faith of the First Testament, one born of living long with the text and the refined skill of asking interesting questions and listening with trained attention. Never one to sacrifice a close hearing of a text for an easy generality, or to mute a discordant note for the sake of reassuring harmony, Goldingay gives us an Old Testament theology shot through with the edge-of-the-seat vitality of discovery. The first volume of Old Testament Theology has triggered lively discussion in the academy. This volume too will be welcomed and discussed by scholars. But its fresh presentations of theological motifs, as well as its engagement with contemporary contexts, will also greatly enrich the treasury of insights this series makes available to preachers and communicators of the Old Testament.

The Art of Jewelry: Polymer Clay: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration


Katherine Duncan Aimone - 2006
    Under Aimone's remarkable tutelage, polymer clay, called PVC here, becomes Italian millefiore beads, shiny abstract cuffs, intricate log-cabin quilt pins, and even calla lily-like earrings. Although other instructional polymer clay books exist, up to now all have focused on basic shapes and elemental design. The 14 selected artists do themselves proud by creating 33 items worthy of display and sale in any fine jewelry store. Instructions are complete, with enough visuals to follow. And the pages upon pages of galleries showcase the beauties of a once-modest material.

Theater Hopper: Year One


Tom Brazelton - 2006
    156 strips in all, each one complete with brand new commentary from the author that reveals the genesis of the comic and the tips and tricks the author learned along the way. Which jokes worked? Which jokes bombed? How did the character design evolve? "Theater Hopper: Year One" is as valuable as a resource to other web comic artists as it is entertaining to fans of movies, pop culture and the folly of celebrity worship! Extras include 11 guest strips from the era as well as a 6-part crossover with Movie Punks.

Awaken the Senses & Estate Affair


Nalini Singh - 2006
    

Victory of the West: The Great Christian-Muslim Clash at the Battle of Lepanto


Niccolò Capponi - 2006
    By four o'clock that afternoon the sea was red with blood. It was a victory of the west-the first major victory of Europeans against the Ottoman Empire. In this compelling piece of narrative history, Niccolo Capponi describes the clash of cultures that led to this crucial confrontation and takes a fresh look at the bloody struggle at sea between oared fighting galleys and determined men of faith. As a description of the age-old conflict between Christianity and Islam, it is a story that resonates today.

Twenty Months


Dee12 - 2006
    And then a pregnant girl decided it would be a very good idea to stop by and ruin his life.*****Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3202483/...

String Theory and M-Theory


Katrin Becker - 2006
    This book guides the reader from the basics of string theory to recent developments. It introduces the basics of perturbative string theory, world-sheet supersymmetry, space-time supersymmetry, conformal field theory and the heterotic string, before describing modern developments, including D-branes, string dualities and M-theory. It then covers string geometry and flux compactifications, applications to cosmology and particle physics, black holes in string theory and M-theory, and the microscopic origin of black-hole entropy. It concludes with Matrix theory, the AdS/CFT duality and its generalizations. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers in modern string theory, and will make an excellent textbook for a one-year course on string theory. It contains over 120 exercises with solutions, and over 200 homework problems with solutions available on a password protected website for lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521860697.

Revolution: The Great Crisis of the British Monarchy 1685 - 1720


Tim Harris - 2006
    It was a massive, brutal and terrifying event, which completely changed the governments of England, Scotland and Ireland and which was only achieved through overwhelming violence. Initiated by a large Dutch army marching through southern England and climaxing in a series of the most terrible battles ever fought on Irish soil, the revolution by which William III seized James II' kingdoms could only for a very narrow and exclusively English viewpoint be called 'glorious'.Many thousands died during the Revolution, an event that marked a new and final orientation for Britain that, except for a large part of Ireland, has endured to the present day. Revolution brilliantly captures the sense that this was a great turning point in Britain's history, but also shows how severe a price was paid to achieve this.

Jeff Wall: Catalogue Raisonn� 1978-2004


Theodora Vischer - 2006
    In an allusion to Charles Baudelaire's dictum on Manet, Wall describes his work as the "painting of modern life," and that life is one fraught with tension but also with luminescent beauty. In 1978, Wall produced The Destroyed Room, which depicted a vandalized space, his first work in the format for which he has become best known--color transparencies, mounted in aluminum boxes and illuminated from behind. His stage-managed scenes, carefully composed but residing somewhere between stylized allegory and naturalism, allude to movie stills and advertising, and mimic captured documentary moments of everyday life: workers restoring a historic building, a janitor mopping a floor, a kitchen flooded with sunlight, the side of a house on the prairie. Above all, he is a master storyteller who brilliantly captures the anxiety of our modern age.In 1991 he began to add digital technology to his technique, and since 1996, he has also produced large-format black-and-white photographs. Often, he labors for weeks and months over a single photograph.This book is the first systematic compilation of information and materials on Wall's individual works and contains 120 catalogue entries, as well as technical and historical data, and commentaries by the artist, who is also known for his writings.