Poets have grappled with the vexed question of what constitutes Englishness since time immemorial, and the poetry of the past century has seen perhaps some of the biggest evolutions in national identity. Contraflow takes a completely new approach to the subject of Englishness, and in this stimulating and entertaining anthology two poetic currents flow against each other, so that different decades merge, well-known stanzas brushing shoulders with more neglected verse. What emerges is an extraordinary mosaic of poetic responses to English history, culture and landscape – satirical, visionary, lyrical, comic, political, meditative – yet one which offers a recognisable picture of a land both united and divided through a hundred years.

How did time begin? What conditions led to humans evolving on Earth? Will we survive the Anthropocene? And is it really true that we're all made from stars? Combining knowledge from chemistry, biology, and physics, with insights from the social sciences and humanities, A Brief History of the Last 13.8 Billion Years follows the continuum of historical change in the cosmos - from the Big Bang, through the evolution of life, to human history. In this compelling and revealing book, David Baker traces the rise of complexity in the cosmos, from the first atoms to the first life and then to humans and the things we have made. He shows us how simple clumps of hydrogen gas transformed into complex human societies. This approach - Big History - allows us to see beyond the chaos of human affairs to the overall trajectory. Finally, Baker looks at the dramatic and sudden changes we're making to our planet and its biosphere and how history hints at what might come next.

Thomas Hardy's reputation as a poet is higher now than it has ever been. It is generally agreed that the Poems of 1912-13, written in memory of his first wife, are some of the greatest elegies in the language. This invaluable new study concentrates on the 'Emma Poems', setting them in the context of Hardy's troubled first marriage, then analysing them one by one. John Greening - a poet himself and author of the Greenwich Exchange Guides to Poets of the First World War and W.B. Yeats - highlights the distinctive music of this twenty-one poem 'suite', while exploring the sexual and spiritual tensions concealed witihn Hardy's Dorsetshire and North Cornish landscapes.

A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale. Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.

From the New York Times bestselling author, Paper Towns is soon to be a major motion picture (summer 2015) starring The Fault in our Stars sensation Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne. Quentin Jacobsen has always loved Margo Roth Spiegelman, for Margo (and her adventures) are the stuff of legend at their high school. So when she one day climbs through his window and summons him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next day Margo doesn't come to school and a week later she is still missing. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance . . . and they are for him. But as he gets deeper into the mystery - culminating in another awesome road trip across America - he becomes less sure of who and what he is looking for. Masterfully written by John Green, this is a thoughtful, insightful and hilarious coming-of-age story. Paper Towns the film will be released in 2015.

More than 130 illustrations recapture the spirited beauty of horses and ponies. Colorists and horse lovers of all ages will treasure these realistic depictions of thoroughbreds, mavericks, and other steeds. Captions.

This book takes a problem-oriented approach to the evaluation of common symptoms presenting to medical students. It begins with guidance in history taking and examination leading the student on to neurological examination. The following sections outline all the common presenting symptoms, such as forgetfulness, dizziness or pain, and relate them to the spectrum of neurological conditions and diseases. Some case histories are used to illustrate problems and the book ends with a section of MCQ's. This is the second in a new series which aims to help medical students to think like doctors. By combining a symptom and problem-based approach with systematic coverage, the book appeals to instructors and students on traditional and integrated courses.

This study analyses the major poems of the World War I and brings into focus some of the more neglected voices of that conflict. It draws attention also to women poets of the period.

Poetry Masterclass is more than just a reference book, it is also a supremely practical handbook including well over a hundred creative writing ideas for teachers, students and fledgling poets.

The critically acclaimed, instant #1 bestseller by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars "A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control." -People "A sometimes heartbreaking, always illuminating, glimpse into how it feels to live with mental illness." - NPR John Green, the award-winning, international bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed, returns with a story of shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett's son Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

The #1 New York Times bestseller is now a major Netflix film starring Kiernan Shipka, Shameik Moore, Odeya Rush and Isabela Moner. It's Christmas Eve and the worst blizzard for fifty years has blanketed Gracetown. But as well as snowflakes, love is in the air - and appearing in the most unexpected ways . . . Who'd have thought a freezing hike from a stranded train would end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger? Or that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow could lead to romance with an old friend? Or that the path to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks? Touching, hilarious and filled with festive cheer, the magic of the holiday season shines on these three interconnected tales of love, romance and breathtaking kisses. The perfect book for a cold winter's night for any fan of The Fault in Their Stars, The Sun is Also a Star and Eleanor and Park. _____ John Green is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down, The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns and, with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Maureen Johnson is the bestselling author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Devilish, Girl at Sea, The Name of the Star and Suite Scarlett. Lauren Myracle is the author of many books for teens, including Shine, Kissing Kate, Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks and The Winnie Years series.

Sixteen boldly outlined, large-format drawings depict realistically posed fox, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, African elephant, gorilla, brown bear, moose, wolf, tiger, zebra, camel, giraffe, reindeer, bison, lion and armadillo. Color with crayons, pencils or paints to produce an exciting stained glass effect. For colorists of all ages.

The Interpretation of Owls is a representative selection of one of the UK's most prolific and respected poets. Edited by Kevin Gardner in consultation with John Greening himself, this first American collection showcases highlights of a remarkable forty-year poetic journey, displaying extraordinary variety and technical skill. The contents (arranged thematically to illustrate Greening's abiding interests and influences) comprise more than 250 poems chosen from twenty individual collections published between 1982 and the present. Kevin Gardner has also made a welcome selection of previously uncollected and unpublished work. Readers of John Greening's accessible and musical lines will find themselves transported from America to England to Iceland to Ireland, with a long stay in Egypt and brief stopovers in several other countries. Passing from the present to the ancient world and back, these poems reimagine historical figures, look inward at the poetic self, and explore the very meaning of home. This outward journeying through time and space is reinforced by a constant questing for spiritual meaning-reminiscent of T. S. Eliot, whose influence on Greening has been profound. Though we are unlikely to find him wrestling with angels, Greening is nevertheless constantly hoping for revelation, attuned to the numinous, treating creation as sacred, and ready to find a world of spirituality in history, myth, or even a lump of East Anglian clay. The Interpretation of Owls features an author's preface, an editor's introduction, two indexes, and for readers who want to experience the work in its order of original publication, a chronological table of contents. Additionally, there is an invaluable new interview with the poet in which he discusses with the editor the background to some of the works.

From the bestselling author of The Fault in our Stars and Looking for Alaska, now a major TV series Quentin Jacobsen has always loved Margo Roth Spiegelman, for Margo (and her adventures) are the stuff of legend at their high school. So when she one day climbs through his window and summons him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next day Margo doesn't come to school and a week later she is still missing. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance . . . and they are for him. But as he gets deeper into the mystery - culminating in another awesome road trip across America - he becomes less sure of who and what he is looking for. Masterfully written by John Green, this is a thoughtful, insightful and hilarious coming-of-age story.

Detailed accurate drawings of 47 species: rhinoceros, snow leopard, giraffe, reindeer, gorilla, tiger, giant panda, elephant, kangaroo, many more. Several double-page spreads depict predator-prey relationships. Brief captions describe habits of each species.Colorists will find this volume entertaining and educational; artists and designers will find practical use for these precise copyright-free illustrations. 40 black-and-white illustrations. Captions.

The Kuczynskis were a German-Jewish family of active anti-fascists who worked assiduously to combat the rise of Nazism before and during the course of the Second World War. This book focuses on the family of Robert and his wife Berta - both born two decades before the end of the nineteenth century - and their six children, five of whom became communists and one who worked as a Soviet agent. The parents, and later their children, rejected and rebelled against their comfortable bourgeois heritage and devoted their lives to the overthrow of privilege and class society. They chose to do this in a Germany that was rapidly moving in the opposite direction. With the rise of German nationalism and then Hitler fascism, the family was confronted with stark choices and, as a result of making these choices, suffered persecution and exile. Revealing how these experiences shaped their outlook and perception of events, this book documents the story of the Kuczynskis for the first time in the English language and is a fascinating biographical portrait of a unique and radical family.

Ken Gill was one of the leading lights of the trade union movement in the 1970s and 1980s, becoming the first communist elected to the TUC General Council. However Ken was renowned in trade union circles not just for his politics and commitment to working people, but for his perceptive caricatures of fellow union leadersand politicians with whom he negotiated. This book offers a small segment of history as seen from the perspective of a leading trade unionist through the medium of caricature. The texts and anecdotes accompanying them are only intended as laconic complements.

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault In Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.