The collected essays in this volume focus on the presentation, representation and interpretation of ancient violence – from war to slavery, rape and murder – in the modern visual and performing arts, with special attention to videogames and dance as well as the more usual media of film, literature and theatre. Violence, fury and the dread that they provoke are factors that appear frequently in the ancient sources. The dark side of antiquity, so distant from the ideal of purity and harmony that the classical heritage until recently usually called forth, has repeatedly struck the imagination of artists, writers and scholars across ages and cultures. A global assembly of contributors, from Europe to Brazil and from the US to New Zealand, consider historical and mythical violence in Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus and the 2010 TV series of the same name, in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, in the work of Lars von Trier, and in Soviet ballet and the choreography of Martha Graham and Anita Berber. Representations of Roman warfare appear in videogames such as Ryse: Son of Rome and Total War, as well as recent comics, and examples from both these media are analysed in the volume. Finally, interviews with two artists offer insight into the ways in which practitioners understand and engage with the complex reception of these themes.

The Burma-Shave craze reached its zenith during the 1950s, with more than 7,000 signs posted across the United States.

To market Burma-Shave, Allen Odell, an advertising wordsmith, devised the concept of sequential signs to sell his shaving cream. Typically, six signs were erected, with each of the first five containing a line of verse, and the sixth trumpeting the brand name.

Burma-Shave signs appeared in every state except Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The creative people at Burma-Shave, as well as customers who sent in jingles of their own, ultimately created more than 600 of the rhymes.

In the world of advertising, Burma-Shave stood as unique, creating signs that became a part of the popular culture.

Although the Burma-Shave company is no more, these fun little rhymes hold great nostalgic value for those of us who fondly remember them from our Sunday drives.

Many railway modellers include an engine shed somewhere on their layout. However, all too often the shed is squeezed into a quite improbable location and is little more than a place to 'park' engines when they are not in use. This well-illustrated and comprehensive book, written by an experienced railway modeller, helps even the beginner to develop a far more realistic approach and to capture the unforgettable grimy but exciting atmosphere of the locomotive shed in the steam era.

Another huge collection of classic and challenging crossword puzzles from Simon & Schuster, complete with tear-out perforated pages so you can take your puzzles to go
Prepare yourselves Here are 225 big--and tough--crosswords taken from out-of-print books in the famous Simon & Schuster crossword puzzle series. Inside these covers are tons of "Sunday Times"-caliber wordplay just waiting to taunt and tantalize you. Originally edited by former "New York Times" crossword editor Eugene Maleska and his colleague John Samson, every puzzle in this book has been completely revised and updated. "Super Crossword Book #12" is the ultimate challenge for the truly fearless crossword aficionado--so sharpen your pencils and wits and get ready for hours of delightfully frustrating fun.

You don't have to be a genius to enjoy chess. The practical instruction provided here can help anyone progress from first-timer or novice to capable intermediate player in no time at all, while instilling an understanding of the game's fundamentals, and providing a strong foundation for future advancement. The game's history, the basic moves for each piece, and strategies for openings, middle game, and endgame positions are all covered, and you can measure your progress with the exercises that follow each section. Checkmating tips are included, as is advice for salvaging a draw when you have a weakened position. Unlike many other chess books, the lessons included here are designed for "real-world" play, using positions that newer players are more likely to encounter. Also featured is a foreword by renowned chessmaster, teacher, and columnist Bruce Pandolfini, who was the instructor played by Ben Kingsley in the film Searching for Bobby Fischer and the chess consultant for the miniseries The Queen's Gambit.

The Eastern approach to Feng Shui practice is timeless while from the Western perspective it is timely. Feng Shui is Chinese in origin while the casino game of craps is American in design. For the first time in print, the author advocates the use of this Eastern approach to enhance the player's chances of winning at casino craps. No book to date has addressed the influence and role of Feng Shui in craps or the subject of craps and Feng Shui together.

The book has an affluence of new material heretofore not published, such as the concept of the Circle of Chi, the flow chart of Feng Shui concepts, which eventually leads to a craps table, the statistical validation of the number 7 coming out more often, after a die accidentally falls off the table, dice presetups, medical tenets germane to the Yin and Yang concept, Feng Shui of selected casinos, and much more.

The superstitions that thrive at a craps table are presented with humor and insight. Learn about Chi management that is as pivotal as money management in augmenting one's chances of winning at craps.

Simon & Schuster's Super Crossword Book #11

From the very first crossword puzzle publisher comes this megacollection of puzzles to lease your brain and bend your mind!

Here are 225 of the toughest crosswords culled from out -- of -- print books in Simon & Schuster's challenging series. You wouldn't expect any less from this collection's top constructors -- wordplay of Sunday Times caliber to taunt and tantalize you for hours. As an added challenge, some of the crosswords have bonus rewards for a solving job well done -- quotations and quips from a wide range of sources woven into the answers. Eugene Maleska and John Samson make sure that you are thoroughly challenged by -- and totally engrossed inthese completely revised and updated puzzles.

Will you succumb to temptation? In a dystopian era of vampires, magic, and steampunk super-science, you face overwhelming oppression. Will you oppose your Antagonist? Will you fight for your Goal, and in so doing, bring meaningful change to your world? Or will you be tempted by the distractions of this world. A roleplaying game for 3-6 players. 3+ hours, one or multiple sessions. Intuitive, streamlined ruleset. Overcome Antagonists using an action-based resolution system. Compelling, dystopian, steampunk setting with room for personalization and change.

Jane Austen's novels portray a leisured society of gentlemen and ladies who do not need to work. Even the men with professions, such as sailors and soldiers, are almost never seen working; though leisure was not meant to be an excuse for idleness. The proper uses of leisure are to fulfill duties, to read and think, and to pursue social relations in a world where family and marriage for the propertied were of central importance. The activities pursued in Jane Austen's novels, and the way they apply themselves to them, are significant to the understanding of her characters and the roles they play. The working of society depended on a round of visits, dinners and evening parties. Bath and other spas were active centres of entertainment of all kinds; and the seaside resorts were growing in importance. Jane Austen experienced these and put them to use in her novels; but she also registered the fact that quiet, solitary pursuits such as reading, walking or needlwork might be more to the taste of a Fanny Price or Anne Elliot. Male characters enjoy their leisure in a number of sports, often glimpsed off stage - John Thorpe drives his gig wildly through Bath and Tom Bertram is nearly killed by a fall at Newmarket. This text identifies leisure and its use as a central characteristic of Austen's work.

Fancy yourself a golden age detective? In these pages lie the clues you will need to crack the most impenetrable of cases. Culprits lurk between the lines of word searches. Imposters are unearthed in anagrams. A keen eye and a quick wit are your best tools for eliminating the suspects in a range of puzzles, suitable for all ages and levels. For seven years, the British Library has brought neglected crime fiction writers into the spotlight in a series of republished novels and anthologies. Updated with brand new puzzle styles and including the very latest British Library Crime Classics titles, there are even more ways to solve the mystery in this sequel to The Pocket Detective.