Best of
Read-For-College

2011

Sonnet 18 (Shall I compare Thee to a Summer's Day?)


William Shakespeare - 2011
    "Sonnet 18" is one of the best-known of the 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare.

Virginia Woolf


Alexandra Harris - 2011
    She felt herself to be at a crossroads: “I shall be miserable, or happy; a wordy sentimental creature, or a writer of such English as shall one day burn the pages.”Today her prose is still blazing; perhaps it burns brighter than ever. This is the story of how a determined young woman with a notebook became one of the greatest writers of all time. It is a story that sparkles with wit and friendship, language and love, wicked jokes and passionate appreciation of ordinary things.In this illuminating new account, Alexandra Harris uses vivid flashes of detail to evoke Woolf’s changing backgrounds and preoccupations. We move from the close-packed rhythms of a Victorian childhood to the experiments of Bloomsbury and Woolf’s trial-and-error answers to the pressing question of how to live. We see her tackling challenging forms of writing, trying out different voices, following flights of fancy, and returning to earth. Above all, we see her making conscious decisions about what to do next.The book considers each of the novels in context, gives due prominence to a range of Woolf’s dazzlingly inventive essays, traces the contentious course of her “afterlife,” and shows why, seventy years after her death, Virginia Woolf continues to haunt and inspire us.

Above the Fold: Understanding the Principles of Successful Web Site Design


Brian Miller - 2011
    "Above the Fold" is not about timely design or technology trends; instead, this book is about the timeless fundamentals of effective communication within the context of web design. It is intended to help you, the reader, understand the considerations that web designers make when developing successful websites."Above the Fold" is divided into three sections: Design & TypographyPlanning & UsabilityBusiness Value Each section represents a phase in the continuous cycle of web design. It's the balance among design, usability, and return on investment that makes a website truly great.Topics covered in "Above the Fold" include: What makes web design uniqueThe history of web designAnatomy of a web pageWhite space and grid use in web designThe elements of web design: color, texture, imagery, scale, depth, animation, and variabilityWeb typography, including web-safe type, images of type, and font replacement and embeddingWeb project planningInformation architecture, including site maps, wireframes, and user flow diagramsThe elements of usability: navigation, breadcrumbs, links, search, submission forms, and error messagingSearch engine optimizationOnline marketing, including banner ads, viral and social marketing, on-site marketing, and email marketingWeb statistics and analysis

Sing: Poetry from the Indigenous Americas


Allison Adelle Hedge Coke - 2011
    Unprecedented in scope, Sing gathers more than eighty poets from across the Americas, covering territory that stretches from Alaska to Chile, and features familiar names like Sherwin Bitsui, Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, Lee Maracle, and Simon Ortiz alongside international poets—both emerging and acclaimed—from regions underrepresented in anthologies.They write from disparate zones and parallel experience, from lands of mounded earthwork long-since paved, from lands of ancient ball courts and the first great cities on the continents, from places of cold, from places of volcanic loam, from zones of erased history and ongoing armed conflict, where “postcolonial” is not an academic concept but a lived reality. As befits a volume of such geographical inclusivity, many poems here appear in multiple languages, translated by fellow poets and writers like Juan Felipe Herrera and Cristina Eisenberg.Hedge Coke’s thematic organization of the poems gives them an added resonance and continuity, and readers will appreciate the story of the genesis of this project related in Hedge Coke’s deeply felt introduction, which details her experiences as an invited performer at several international poetry festivals. Sing is a journey compelled by the exploration of kinship and the desire for songs that open “pathways of return.”

Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt


Emily Teeter - 2011
    Through an examination of artifacts and inscriptions, the text explores a variety of issues. For example, who was allowed to enter the temples, and what rituals were preformed therein? Who served as priests? How were they organized and trained, and what did they do? What was the Egyptians' attitude toward death, and what happened at funerals? How did the living and dead communicate? In what ways could people communicate with the gods? What impact did religion have on the economy and longevity of the society? This book demystifies Egyptian religion, exploring what it meant to the people and society. The text is richly illustrated with images of rituals and religious objects.

Introduction to Modern Climate Change


Andrew E. Dessler - 2011
    It is unique among textbooks on climate change in that it combines an introduction of the science with an introduction to the non-science issues such as the economic and policy options. Unlike more purely descriptive textbooks, it contains the quantitative depth that is necessary for an adequate understanding of the science of climate change. The goal of the book is for a student to leave the class ready to engage in the public policy debate on this issue. This is an invaluable textbook for any introductory survey course on the science and policy of climate change, for both non-science majors and introductory science students.

Art Since 1900: 1900 to 1944 (Vol. 1)


Hal Foster - 2011
    Each turning point and breakthrough of modernism and postmodernism is explored in depth, as are the frequent anti-modernist reactions that proposed alternative visions of art and the world. Art Since 1900 introduces students to the key theoretical approaches to modern and contemporary art in a way that enables them to comprehend the many “voices” of art in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

This Great Struggle: America's Civil War


Steven E. Woodworth - 2011
    Noted historian Steven E. Woodworth tells the story of what many regard as the defining event in United States history. While covering all theaters of war, he emphasizes the importance of action in the region between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River in determining its outcome. Woodworth argues that the Civil War had a distinct purpose that was understood by most of its participants: it was primarily a conflict over the issue of slavery. The soldiers who filled the ranks of the armies on both sides knew what they were fighting for. The outcome of the war after its beginnings at Fort Sumter to the Confederate surrender four years later was the result of the actions and decisions made by those soldiers and millions of other Americans. Written in clear and compelling fashion, This Great Struggle is their story and ours."

The How and the Why


Sarah Treem - 2011
    

Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse


Shelley Rigger - 2011
    Shelley Rigger explains how Taiwan became such a key global player, highlighting economic and political breakthroughs so impressive they have been called "miracles." She links these accomplishments to Taiwan's determined society, vibrant culture, and unique history. Drawing on arts, economics, politics, and international relations, Rigger explores Taiwan's importance to China, the United States, and the world. Considering where Taiwan may be headed in its wary standoff with China, she traces how the focus of Taiwan's domestic politics has shifted to a Taiwan-centered strategy. All readers interested in Asia and international affairs, as well as travelers to the region, will find this an accessible and entertaining overview, replete with human interest stories and colorful examples of daily life in Taiwan.

Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature


J. Thomas RimerHakuchō Masamune - 2011
    Spanning a period of exceptional invention and transition, this volume is not only a critical companion to courses on Japanese literary and intellectual development but also an essential reference for scholarship on Japanese history, culture, and interactions with the East and West.The first half covers the three major styles of literary expression that informed Japanese writing and performance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: classical Japanese fiction and drama, Chinese poetry, and Western literary representation and cultural critique. Their juxtaposition brilliantly captures the social, intellectual, and political challenges shaping Japan during this period, particularly the rise of nationalism, the complex interaction between traditional and modern forces, and the encroachment of Western ideas and writing. The second half conveys the changes that have transformed Japan since the end of the Pacific War, such as the heady transition from poverty to prosperity, the friction between conflicting ideologies and political beliefs, and the growing influence of popular culture on the country's artistic and intellectual traditions. Featuring sensitive translations of works by Nagai Kafu, Natsume Soseki, Oe Kenzaburo, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, and many others, this anthology relates an essential portrait of Japan's dynamic modernization.

Aim for the Heart: Write, Shoot, Report and Produce for TV and Multimedia


Alan Tompkins - 2011
    If you aim for the heart with the copy you write and the sound and video you capture, you will never fail to grab your viewers and compel them to keep watching. With humor, honesty and directness, Tompkins bottles his years of experience and insight in a new second edition that offers students the fundamentals they need to master, with the practical know-how they can immediately put to use.

The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi


Eiichi Kiyooka - 2011
    Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835 - 1901) was a pivotal figure in the cultural transformation of Japan that changed it from a secluded feudal country, to an important player on the international stage. He is famous for translating and adapting a vast amount of Western literature for the Japanese people. This autobiography furnishes a clear picture of Fukuzawa's life, from a childhood spent in a small castle town, to his becoming a member of the samurai class. A fascinating and insightful account, this volume is highly recommended for those with an interest in the formation of a modern Japan. Many antiquarian texts such as this, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are increasingly hard to come by and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new introduction.

A Student Guide to Chaucer's Middle English


Peter G. Beidler - 2011
    The guide contains information on the International Phonetic Alphabet, iambic pentameter, and the Great Vowel Shift. It also has word lists and transcription exercises. Refined during four decades of Beidler's own teaching, this booklet is now widely available for the first time.

Upside: Surprising Good News about the State of Our World


Bradley R.E. Wright - 2011
    But are their fears based on reality or myth? In this book Wright examines issues of concern to Christians, including poverty, sickness, sexual morality, the environment, and the global church. Did you know that global poverty has been cut in half over the last several decades? That infant deaths have decreased dramatically in recent years? That Christianity is a growing and influential force in Asia and Africa? Maybe the world isn't in a downward spiral after all. In an age of pessimism, this book offers good news to Christian readers looking for glimpses of hope.

Dirt Songs: A Plains Duet


Twyla M. Hansen - 2011
    Hansen and Linda M. Hasselstrom reflect the Great Plains' infl uence in seasoned poems that celebrate cloud and water and earth and their love of all things farm and ranch, green and blooming, feathered and furred, wild and domesticated, warm and breathin