What is Counterculture? - It's an alternative lifestyle... - The ideas that spark a revolution... - A movement that changes the world... This new collection of essays celebrates the incredible originality of British post-war culture. British art, film, theatre, dance, literature and music have attracted international recognition, from the Angry Young Men to the Sex Pistols to Grayson Perry. Now gaming, the internet and social media enable creative communities to flourish and either fight for social justice - or just be entertained. Can we find the creative inspiration to succeed in a postcapitalist future?

A bullet train of a book, fast-paced, hilarious, rich with action. A harbinger of good things to come in mysterious ways. It all began at a cocktail party at Wallace Stegner's for the Stanford writing class of 1958. Ken Kesey and Ken Babbs became cronies, embarking on a frolicking, rambunctious adventure that lasted over 40 years. Babbs calls the 70 stories of this book "burlesques" because, after 85 years of living, much of it in the wide friendly center of an evolving, at times psychedelic culture, memory no longer can, or even should include an exact retelling, but only a tasty sprinkling of the truth, mixed with an endless enigma, all topped with the best of humor and heart. The troupe of characters include the Kens Kesey and Babbs, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Timothy Leary, Jerry Garcia, Pigpen, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mountain Girl, Sonny Barger, Larry McMurtry, Wavy Gravy, Hunter S. Thompson, Kirk Douglas, Paul Newman, Jan Kerouac, Bill Walton, Wendell Berry, a pick-up bed-sized sturgeon, and always the many free-spirited, creative, friendly men and women who made up the Merry Band of Pranksters. Come along for the ride on the famous bus trip to Manhattan. Join the Hells Angels at their partying best. Drop in for the early Acid Tests. Experience the Berkeley Vietnam anti-war rally. Relish the stories of Kesey's pot busts and "suicide." Climb aboard-"Board!"-for six months on the lam in Mexico. Take the Further tours with the Grateful Dead. Make the ultimate move to Oregon, where Babbs and Kesey grew a magical friendship and collaboration until Kesey passed in 2001. Irreverent, unencumbered by social norms, literary and poetic, Cronies is a poignant view of the Sixties and beyond from someone who was there, and remembers it well. Kind of...

Cattle, property and wildlife adventures beat the drum in this African roller-coaster of adrenaline, danger and envy. From the first chant to the last lot, the stage is set for a fast-paced narrative full of action, power-plays and latent deception.

Puff Adders In The Panicum is an anthology of short, true vignettes describing Andrew Hutchinson's experiences as an auctioneer.

The narratives are mostly set in the Albany area, around Grahamstown, known as “Settler Country”, as this was where the British settled in the 1800s. The communities in this area comprise hard-working, unpretentious folk, which is reflected in the writer’s stories about his time as an auctioneer both in this area and elsewhere. His stories are unembellished and most interesting. As the narrator, Andrew Hutchinson, successfully gives the reader insight into the areas in which he worked and he aptly reflects the interesting characters and strange foibles of the people whom he met as an auctioneer.

His writing is humorous and exposes the appearance of “offerings of sweet success and the promise of prosperity” with the reality of “puff adders” ready to strike. Andrew’s understanding of the people with whom he did business and his “business partners” is evident in his writing. Should the reader not be of South African origin, the glossary of words and expressions included will clarify the references made.

The stories are enjoyable and easy to read, and provide an understanding and awareness of the challenges and triumphs faced by auctioneers, as well as an insight into the world of the people with whom he dealt.

Counterculture, while commonly used to describe youth-oriented movements during the 1960s, refers to any attempt to challenge or change conventional values and practices or the dominant lifestyles of the day. This fascinating three-volume set explores these movements in America from colonial times to the present in colorful detail. "American Countercultures" is the first reference work to examine the impact of countercultural movements on American social history. It highlights the writings, recordings, and visual works produced by these movements to educate, inspire, and incite action in all eras of the nation's history. A-Z entries provide a wealth of information on personalities, places, events, concepts, beliefs, groups, and practices. The set includes numerous illustrations, a topic finder, primary source documents, a bibliography and a filmography, and an index.

It's not every day that we wake up and decide to put life on hold and start living. This is what Jonathan did after turning forty. Having realized that probably he had already lived half his life he decided to embark on a sabbatical to enjoy time off, reflect about his life and make sure he was living life on his terms and not on someone else's. Coming from a small Mediterranean island, culture and circumstance often dictate our actions, behaviors, and next steps. Jonathan broke with this norm and is calling on us to re-evaluate what really makes us tick. #Forty is a journey which questions the way we have done things and assists us in answering the 'what next?'. It is our journey - one of self-discovery. A thought provoking, easy to use hand book of a few of the life lessons Jonathan has picked up along the years and others which he is still working on. Pick it up, put it down. Read a chapter or two and reflect. Use it whichever way you wish - there is a lesson for each and every one of us. Most of all - enjoy the journey. Table of Contents: 1. Exploit Your Current 2. The Management Perception 3. Choose whih Battles are Worth Winning 4. The Power of Engagement 5. Making Yourself Redundant 6. Your Most Complex Machine 7. Reinventing Yoursefl 8. The Emotion of Negotiations 9. The Solitude of Leadership 10. It's Not What We Say but How We Say It 11. 80% of your Fears will never Happen 12. Don't Just Think It, Ink It 13. The Big Fish Small Pond Syndrome 14. See for the First Time 15. Why Grit Matters? 16. You Can Be Your Worst Enemy 17. Food for Tonight 18. Technology and Patience 19. Share Your Plans as much as You Can 20. Some Business Tips 21. Learn To Let Go 22. Sabbatical at Forty 23. The Art of Firing People 24. Reward Yourself at Milestones 25. People Who Know Don't Talk. Those Who Don't Know Talk A Lot 26. It is Nice to be Important. But it is Important to be Nice 27. You Don't Choose Your Family 28. Meet the Monkey 29. About Mindfulness 30. More than Words

The extraordinary, bestselling memoir from Japan's foremost geisha. 'A glimpse into the exotic, mysterious, tinged-with-eroticism world of the almost mythical geisha' Val Hennessy, Daily Mail '[An] eloquent and innovative memoir' The Times 'I can identify the exact moment when things began to change. It was a cold winter afternoon. I had just turned three.' Emerging shyly from her hiding place, Mineko encounters Madam Oima, the formidable proprietress of a prolific geisha house in Gion. Madam Oima is mesmerised by the child's black hair and black eyes: she has found her successor. And so Mineko is gently, but firmly, prised away from her parents to embark on an extraordinary profession, of which she will become the best. But even if you are exquisitely beautiful and the darling of the okiya, the life of a geisha is one of gruelling demands. And Mineko must first contend with her bitterly jealous sister who is determined to sabotage her success . . . Captivating and poignant, Geisha of Gion tells of Mineko's ascendancy to fame and her ultimate decision to leave the profession she found so constricting. After centuries of mystery Mineko is the only geisha to speak out. This is the true story she has long wanted to tell and the one that the West has long wanted to hear.

'Beautifully written and structured, deeply moving, and realised in wise, thoughtful, chiselled prose... it is that rarity: a genuine non-fiction classic' William Dalrymple 'A troubling and moving account of lives gone wrong in the search for an eastern Utopia' Damon Galgut, author of the Booker Prize-winning The Promise A spellbinding story about love, faith, the search for utopia - and the often devastating cost of idealism. It's the late 1960s, and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India. John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East Coast American family. Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium. They have come to build a new world - Auroville, an international utopian community for thousands of people. Their faith is strong, the future bright. So how do John and Diane end up dying two decades later, on the same day, on a cracked concrete floor in a thatch hut by a remote canyon? This is the mystery Akash Kapur sets out to solve in Better to Have Gone, and it carries deep personal resonance: Diane and John were the parents of Akash's wife, Auralice. Akash and Auralice grew up in Auroville; like the rest of their community, they never really understood those deaths. In 2004, Akash and Auralice return to Auroville from New York, where they have been living with John's family. As they re-establish themselves, along with their two sons, in the community, they must confront the ghosts of those distant deaths. Slowly, they come to understand how the tragic individual fates of John and Diane intersected with the collective history of their town. Better to Have Gone is a book about the human cost of our age-old quest for a more perfect world. It probes the under-explored yet universal idea of utopia, and it portrays in vivid detail the daily life of one utopian community. Richly atmospheric and filled with remarkable characters, spread across time and continents, this is narrative writing of the highest order - a heartbreaking, unforgettable story.

Although tattoos have become increasingly available to us, there are still spaces where they are not accepted, and even 'othered'. Looking at the UK, where media discourses are often unfavourable towards tattooed women discussing their own bodies, this book explores how we understand tattooed women's bodies in the UK - through the lens of gender and class. Unpacking themes which focus on how femininity is embodied, and how unwritten rules are broken or followed, Charlotte Dann demonstrates how meaning is key to our understanding of female body art. Drawing our attention to how traditional constructions of femininity are conformed to and resisted against, Dann positions media discourses of trends, regret, and transformation alongside tattooed women's own thoughts of their tattoos. The chapters uncover how tattoos relate to the embodiment, or resistance, of femininity where the body plays a complex role - in care, in the community, and in families. Delving into the societal norms about what women should and shouldn't do with their bodies, and looking specifically at motherhood, employment, and consumption, Dann demonstrates how meaning-making is critical to how women's tattooed bodies are understood, and how personal narratives take centre stage in the justification for tattoos. Providing a fuller understanding of the nuances particular to tattooed women, this book equips readers to reconstruct how we theorize femininity and the body.

The term 'kink' evokes a variety of cultural responses ranging from curiosity and arousal to disgust and fear. Many of these responses are based on assumptions about its practices and participants, due to often inaccurate and ever-more-frequent representations in popular culture. These selected authors challenge those assumptions and emphasize how a number of non-normative sexual activities and ways of being can be empowering and liberating rather than deleterious or 'deviant', helping to bring the world of kink out of the shadows. They illuminate past and present kinky phenomena by exploring BDSM, experimentation, fetishism, gender bending, performativity, and sexual role-playing, as experienced in a variety of domains and represented in literature, film, and television. Contributing to revised notions of inclusivity and acceptance, this interdisciplinary work deftly identifies both historical and current approaches to understanding and analyzing kink, and pinpoints avenues for future research. It is an important addition to the emergent areas of BDSM and kink studies.

He had three perfect wives. Until one of them killed him. 'An exquisite murder mystery' CHRISTINA DALCHER 'Atmospheric and addictive' THE SUN 'I could not put it down... I loved it!' MARIAN KEYES ***** Blake's dead. His wife killed him. The question is... which one? Rachel, Emily and Tina have nothing in common - except that they share a husband and a homestead. When their beloved Blake is found dead under the desert sun, the questions pile up. But none of the widows know who would want to kill a good man like their husband. At least, that's what they'll tell the police... ***** READERS AND CRITICS LOVE THE WIDOWS: 'Three wives, three motives, three utterly compelling stories' ELLY GRIFFITHS 'Oh, my, can this author write women!' NEW YORK TIMES 'Intense, gripping, superb' WILL DEAN 'A compelling read with a very dark heart' OBSERVER 'A brilliant joyride in the company of three unforgettable women - a hugely enjoyable and original mystery with real heart' JANE CASEY 'A sly, contemporary crime masterpiece. I loved it.' ADRIAN MCKINTY 'An absolutely thrilling novel. I devoured it over a weekend, unable to put it down... Clever and completely original.' ALEX MICHAELIDES 'Brilliantly imagined, compellingly told... The voices of the three wives will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.' CHRIS HAMMER 'A tremendous read... The tension ramps up all the way to the end and I loved the relationship between the wives.' HARRIET TYCE 'Great characters, a fascinating setting and propulsive storyline make for a winning combination.' TM LOGAN

'Lots of ideas for making gifts and decorations but not spending tons of money buying them' Jenni Murray Celebrating midwinter is not about what you buy or how much you spend - it's about your attitude to life. Turn away from the frenetic consumerism of Christmas and rediscover the authentic and meaningful realities of this, the oldest and most precious celebration of the year. The true significance of midwinter is not found in any individual spiritual or religious belief or practice. Instead, the winter solstice provides an opportunity to celebrate what we as humans share; to set aside our differences and come together with a sense of community and cheer. Merry Midwinter is a cornucopia of ideas for how to make your own decorations (kissing boughs, advent wreaths, crackers, stockings and more); your own alternative gifts which cost nothing except your time and thought; your own entertainments and games; and simple, seasonal recipes from years gone by.

Alternativity delineates those spaces, scenes, club-cultures, objects and practices in modern society that are considered to be actively designed to be counter or resistive to mainstream popular culture. The idea of the alternative in popular culture became mainstream with the rise of the counter culture in 1960s America (though there were earlier forms of alternative cultures in America and other Western countries). Alternativity is associated with marginalization, both actively pursued by individuals, and imposed on individuals and sub-cultures, and was originally represented and constructed through acts of transgression, and through shared sub-cultural capital. This edited collection maps the landscape of alternativity and marginalization, providing new theory and methods in a currently under-theorized area, setting out the issues, questions, concerns and directions of this area of study. It demonstrates the theoretical richness and empirical diversity of the interdisciplinary field it encompasses, and is deliberately feminist in its approach and its composition, with a majority of the contributors being women. Divided into three sub-sections, focused on sub-cultures, bodies and spaces, contributors explore this exciting new terrain, both through critiques of theory and new theoretical developments, and case studies of alternativity and marginalization in practice and in performance, expanding our understanding of the alternative, the liminal and the transgressive.

The origins and deeds of the old Goths were constructed by Roman historians in fear of the Goth as a barbarian outsider; at the same time, the Goths were themselves the heroic subject of their own histories, constructed by their supporters as stories of their mythical origin and the deeds that led them to be rulers of their own kingdoms in post-Roman Late Antiquity. Who the old Goths were, their origins and their deeds, was a product of history, historiography and myth-making. In this book, Spracklen and Spracklen use the idea of collective memory to explore the controversies and boundary-making surrounding the genesis and progression of the modern gothic alternative culture. Spracklen and Spracklen argue that goth as sub-culture in the eighties was initially counter cultural, political and driven by a musical identity that emerged from punk. However, as goth music globalised and became another form of pop and rock music, goth in the nineties retreated into an alternative sub-culture based primarily on style and a sense of transgression and profanity. By this century goth became the focus of teenage rebellions, moral panics and growing commodification of counter-cultural resistance, so that by the goth has effectively become another fashion choice in the late-modern hyper-real shopping malls, devoid generally of resistance and politics. Goth, like punk, is in danger of being co-opted altogether by capitalism. This book suggests that the only way for goth culture to survive is if it becomes transgressive and radical again.

Includes previously unpublished interviews with figures such as the double agent George Blake, the 'Moors murderer' Myra Hindley and Svetlana Alliluyeva, the daughter of Joseph Stalin

Nathan Coley is a publication documenting a public art project in London by Glasgow-based contemporary artist Nathan Coley (b.1967). At a time when housing and the property market are at the centre of much social, political and economic debate, Coley's project is a pertinent and thought-provoking exploration of issues of housing, ownership, history and activism. In the mid-late 1960s, the Greater London Council moved local authority tenants out of their run-down terraced houses in the Freston Road area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and into newly built blocks of flats nearby. The council was planning to knock down the terraced houses and to regenerate the area, but the plans were beset by delays so the houses lay derelict for almost a decade. During the 1970s a group of squatters began moving into the old houses - there were around 150 people living in 35 houses at one point towards the end of the decade. In late summer 2015, on the site where Frestonia once stood, the first phase of apartments designed byHaworth Tompkins Architects and built by the charitable organisation The Peabody Trust was completed. With one third of the properties for sale, one third for rent, and one third under the management of the Housing Association, the complex, called The Silchester (More West) development, consists of 112 apartments. Nathan Coley was commissioned to make new artwork for the site. Based on the form of an apple tree - inspired by the history of the Bramley apple that gave its name to the Frestonia residents - Coley has not only made a striking steel and gold leaf rooftop sculpture, but also 112 small versions of the same sculpture that have been given to each of the residents as a house warming present. In doing so, Coley not only connects the new housing complex and its residents with its local history, but to wider discourses of modernism and sculpture, art and society, capitalism and alternative modes of living. The publication, which forms part of the artist's commissioned project, presents a variety of texts, images and documentation relating to the new housing development, to the history of the Bramley apple and to Frestonia - including a selection of archive photographs of Frestonia taken by former resident Tony Sleep.

From the author of Jailbirds and one of Elle's '50 Game Changers' (2019) comes a timely exploration of different forms of living together. Seventy-six per cent of British adults feel that we've become more distanced from our neighbours in the last 20 years. We are less likely than our grandparents, or even our parents, to know the names of our neighbours, to enjoy multi-generational friendships or to share resources and childcare. With mental health at epidemic levels, the climate crisis worsening, and society feeling increasingly divided, this game-changing book asks whether there are better ways to live. Mim Skinner sets out to explore communities that have rejected individualism and nuclear family life in order to embrace a more collective way of living. As she meets those who have had the courage to imagine a better world and start living it - in countercultural hippy communes, the disability led L'Arche communities, queer safe spaces, environmental campaign groups, rehab support networks and more - she asks how each is tackling the social issues of our time and finding greener and more connected ways to be together. Mixing memories and reflections of her own unconventional upbringing with interviews and research into the international history of communalism, Mim Skinner challenges her own assumptions as well as ours as she searches for a more meaningful way of life and finds multiple options for alternative ways of living - from commercial co-living developments for time-starved urbanites to off-grid farm communities, low-cost co-operative estates and collaborative parenting schemes. The result is an eye-opening snapshot of alternative communities and a much-needed new perspective on the concept of wellness. It asks whether individualism can ever give us the tools to live in healthy and equal ways and offers a glimpse into the possibility - and also the pitfalls - of life lived differently.

Many modern gurus, life-style magazines, TV programmes and books promote slow-ing down and resisting the relentless tem-po of daily life. We are offering a carefully selected set of objects and accessories that will not only show you how to relax again, but also how to refuse the crazy pressure for speed. Take back control over your life and make it enjoyable again. Let this book be your guide on the way to escape the hurly-burly of everyday life and get rid of the stress it generates. Back to basics, discover the beauty of the slow mode that will make your life more rewarding, whether you are relaxing, enjoying the moment, sharing them with your loved ones or practicing a hobby. Thanks to our inspirational collec-tion of tools for slow living you will connect with reality, with others and most impor-tantly with yourself.

Metal music has long nurtured an obsession with visions of the Middle Ages, with countless album covers and lyric sheets populated by Vikings, knights, wizards, and castles. Medievalism and Metal Music Studies: Throwing down the Gauntlet addresses this fascination with all things medieval, exploring how metal musicians and fans find inspiration both in authentically medieval materials and neomedievalist depictions of the period in literature, cinema, and other media. Within metal music, the medieval takes on multiple, and even contradictory meanings, becoming at once a cipher of difference and grotesque alterity while simultaneously being imagined as a simpler, more authentic time, as opposed to the complexities and stresses of modernity. In this fashion, the medieval period becomes both a source for artistic creativity and a vector for countercultural social and political critique. The contributors in this book hail from a wide range of fields including medieval history, music performance, musicology, media studies, and literature, and computer linguistics, bringing a variety of critical perspectives to bear on the topic. Engaging in analyses of cover art, liner notes, lyrics, and musical style, the contributors investigate issues of research methodologies, crucial concerns over identity and nationalism, and the recontextualisation of historical materials, all aimed at critically examining how and why medievalism has permeated heavy metal music and culture. Hearken to our tales!

William Coperthwaite is a teacher, builder, designer, and writer who for many years has explored the possibilities of true simplicity on a homestead on the north coast of Maine. In the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, and Helen and Scott Nearing, Coperthwaite has fashioned a livelihood of integrity and completeness-buying almost nothing, providing for his own needs, and serving as a guide and companion to hundreds of apprentices drawn to his unique way of being."A Handmade Life" carries Coperthwaite's ongoing experiments with hand tools, hand-grown and gathered food, and handmade shelter, clothing, and furnishings out into the world to challenge and inspire. His writing is both philosophical and practical, exploring themes of beauty, work, education, and design while giving instruction on the hand-crafting of the necessities of life. Richly illustrated with luminous color photographs by Peter Forbes, the book is a moving and inspirational testament to a new practice of old ways of life.

The movement of millions of settlers to Siberia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries marked one of the most ambitious undertakings pursued by the tsarist state. Colonizing Russia's Promised Land examines how Russian Orthodoxy acted as a basic building block for constructing Russian settler communities in current-day southern Siberia and northern Kazakhstan. Russian state officials aspired to lay claim to land that was politically under their authority, but remained culturally unfamiliar. By exploring the formation and evolution of Omsk diocese - a settlement mission - Colonizing Russia's Promised Land reveals how the migration of settlers expanded the role of Orthodoxy as a cultural force in transforming Russia's imperial periphery by "russifying" the land and marginalizing the Indigenous Kazakh population. In the first study exploring the role of Orthodoxy in settler colonialism, Aileen Friesen shows how settlers, clergymen, and state officials viewed the recreation of Orthodox parish life as practised in European Russia as fundamental to the establishment of settler communities, and to the success of colonization. Friesen uniquely gives peasant settlers a voice in this discussion, as they expressed their religious aspirations and fears to priests and tsarist officials. Despite this agreement, tensions existed not only among settlers, but also within the Orthodox Church as these groups struggled to define what constituted the Russian Orthodox faith and culture.

It was a scene that had many names: some original members referred to themselves as punks, others, new romantics, new wavers, the bats, or the morbids. "Goth" did not gain lexical currency until the late 1980s. But no matter what term was used, "postpunk" encompasses all the incarnations of the 1980s alternative movement. "Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace "is a visual and oral history of the first decade of the scene. Featuring interviews with both the performers and the audience to capture the community on and off stage, the book places personal snapshots alongside professional photography to reveal a unique range of fashions, bands, and scenes.
A book about the music, the individual, and the creativity of a worldwide community rather than theoretical definitions of a subculture, "Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace" considers a subject not often covered by academic books. Whether you were part of the scene or are just fascinated by different modes of expression, this book will transport you to another time and place.

The world is not as mobile or as interconnected as we like to think. As Harm de Blij argues in The Power of Place, in crucial ways-from the uneven distribution of natural resources to the unequal availability of opportunity-geography continues to hold billions of people in its grip. We are all born into natural and cultural environments that shape what we become, individually and collectively. From our "mother tongue" to our father's faith, from medical risks to natural hazards, where we start our journey has much to do with our destiny. Hundreds of millions of farmers in the river basins of Asia and Africa, and tens of millions of shepherds in isolated mountain valleys from the Andes to Kashmir, all live their lives much as their distant ancestors did, remote from the forces of globalization. Incorporating a series of persuasive maps, De Blij describes the tremendously varied environments across the planet and shows how migrations between them are comparatively rare. De Blij also looks at the ways we are redefining place so as to make its power even more potent than it has been, with troubling implications.

Counterculture flourished nationwide in the 1960s and 1970s, and while the hippies of Haight-Ashbury occupied the public eye, further off the beaten path in the Arkansas Ozarks a faction of back to the landers were quietly creating their own counterculture haven. In Hipbillies, Jared Phillips collects oral histories and delves into archival resources to provide a fresh scholarly discussion of this group, which was defined by anticonsumerism and a desire for self-sufficiency outside of modern industry. While there were indeed clashes between long haired hippies and cantankerous locals, Phillips shows how the region has always been a refuge for those seeking a life off the beaten path, and as such, is perhaps one of the last bastions for the dream of self-sufficiency in American life. Hipbillies presents a region steeped in tradition coming to terms with the modern world.