Like George Orwell, Franz Kafka has given his name to a world of nightmare, but in Kafka's world, it is never completely clear just what the nightmare is. The Trial, where the rules are hidden from even the highest officials, and if there is any help to be had, it will come from unexpected sources, is a chilling, blackly amusing tale that maintains, to the very end, a relentless atmosphere of disorientation. Superficially about bureaucracy, it is in the last resort a description of the absurdity of 'normal' human nature. Still more enigmatic is The Castle. Is it an allegory of a quasi-feudal system giving way to a new freedom for the subject? The search by a central European Jew for acceptance into a dominant culture? A spiritual quest for grace or salvation? An individual's struggle between his sense of independence and his need for approval? Is it all of these things? And K? Is he opportunist, victim, or an outsider battling against elusive authority? Finally, in his fables, Kafka deals in dark and quirkily humorous terms with the insoluble dilemmas of a world which offers no reassurance, and no reliable guidance to resolving our existential and emotional uncertainties and anxieties.

Translated, with an Introduction and Notes by John R. Williams. Goethe's Faust is a classic of European literature. Based on the fable of the man who traded his soul for superhuman powers and knowledge, it became the life's work of Germany's greatest poet. Beginning with an intriguing wager between God and Satan, it charts the life of a deeply flawed individual and his struggle against the nihilism of his diabolical companion Mephistopheles. Part One presents Faust's pact with the Devil and the harrowing tragedy of his love affair with the young Gretchen. Part Two shows Faust's experience in the world of public affairs, including his encounter with Helen of Troy, the emblem of classical beauty and culture. The whole is a symbolic and panoramic commentary on the human condition and on modern European history and civilisation. This new translation of both parts of Faust preserves the poetic character of the original, its tragic pathos and hilarious comedy. In addition, John Williams has translated the Urfaust, a fascinating glimpse into the young Goethe's imagination, and a selection from the draft scenarios for the Walpurgis Night witches' sabbath - material so ribald and blasphemous that Goethe did not dare publish it.

Originally published in 1987, this is a thorough and lucid introduction and commentary to the whole of Goethe's Faust. It gives the student of German and European literature valuable insights into the most important work of Germany's foremost poet. German quotations are translated or paraphrased in English and a detailed knowledge of German literature is not assumed. The book traces Goethe's work on the play over 60 years of his creative career and surveys its critical reception over the 200 years since its first appearance. Part One is analysed as a mimetic tragedy, Part Two as an historical and cultural profile of Goethe's own times. The commentary guides the reader carefully through its subtleties and multi-layered references and provides a broad and coherent structure for the overall understanding of the work. It suggests provocative interpretations of some figures and episodes in Part Two and places renewed emphasis on parts of the work that often receive relatively little attention. An appendix surveys the metres and verse forms of the play.

Originally published in 1987, this is a thorough and lucid introduction and commentary to the whole of Goethe's Faust. It gives the student of German and European literature valuable insights into the most important work of Germany's foremost poet. German quotations are translated or paraphrased in English and a detailed knowledge of German literature is not assumed. The book traces Goethe's work on the play over 60 years of his creative career and surveys its critical reception over the 200 years since its first appearance. Part One is analysed as a mimetic tragedy, Part Two as an historical and cultural profile of Goethe's own times. The commentary guides the reader carefully through its subtleties and multi-layered references and provides a broad and coherent structure for the overall understanding of the work. It suggests provocative interpretations of some figures and episodes in Part Two and places renewed emphasis on parts of the work that often receive relatively little attention. An appendix surveys the metres and verse forms of the play.

Are you an engineer or manager working on the development and implementation of RFID technology? If so, this book is for you. Covering both passive and active RFID systems, the challenges to RFID implementation are addressed using specific industry research examples and common integration issues. Key topics include RF tag performance optimization, evaluation methodologies for RFID and Real-Time-Location Systems (RTLS) and sensors, EPC network simulation, RFID in the retail supply chain, and applications in product lifecycle management, anti-counterfeiting and cold chain management. The book brings together insights from the world's leading research laboratories in the field, including the Auto-ID Labs at MIT, successor to the Auto-ID Center which developed the Electronic Product Code scheme which is set to become the global standard for product identification.MIT Auto-ID Labs's suite of Open Source code and tools for RFID implementation is available at www.cambridge.org/9780521880930.

Are you an engineer or manager working on the development and implementation of RFID technology? If so, this book is for you. Covering both passive and active RFID systems, the challenges to RFID implementation are addressed using specific industry research examples and common integration issues. Key topics include RF tag performance optimization, evaluation methodologies for RFID and Real-Time-Location Systems (RTLS) and sensors, EPC network simulation, RFID in the retail supply chain, and applications in product lifecycle management, anti-counterfeiting and cold chain management. The book brings together insights from the world's leading research laboratories in the field, including the Auto-ID Labs at MIT, successor to the Auto-ID Center which developed the Electronic Product Code scheme which is set to become the global standard for product identification.MIT Auto-ID Labs's suite of Open Source code and tools for RFID implementation is available at www.cambridge.org/9780521880930.

Cutting-edge criticism on major aspects of Goethe's best-known work. Undisputedly a canonical work, Goethe's Faust is also the key to understanding its author, one of European civilization's most complex figures. Written over several decades, the work spans both Goethe's life and an age of enormous social, political, philosophical, and artistic change - even revolution. In this volume, Goethe scholars and experts from Europe and North America explore major aspects of this fascinating work, offering a cutting-edge guide to both reader and scholar. Contributors: Ritchie Robertson, Martin Swales, Alberto Destro, Osman Durrani, Ellis Dye, John R. Williams, Anthony Phelan, Franziska Schoessler, Peter D. Smith, Cyrus Hamlin, R.H. Stephenson, David Luke, Robert David McDonald Paul Bishop is William Jacks Chair of Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow.

Over the last 15 years, there has been renewed interest in supercritical fluids owing to their unique properties and relatively low environmental impact. Greatest attention has been given to the extraction and separation of organic compounds. Supercritical fluids have also been successfully used for particle production, as reaction media, and for the destruction of toxic waste. Supercritical carbon dioxide has been the most widely used supercritical fluid, mainly because it is cheap, relatively nontoxic, and has convenient critical values. Supercritical fluids have also been used on analytical and preparative scales for many biological and other applications. Many papers have been published on the use of supercritical fluids. However, few have acted as a detailed instruction manual for those wanting to use the techniques for the first time. We anticipate that this Methods in Biotechnology volume, Supercritical Fluid Methods and Protocols will s- isfy the need for such a book. Every chapter has been written by experienced workers and should, if closely followed, enable workers with some or no previous experience of supercritical fluids to conduct experiments successfully at the first attempt.

Over the last 15 years, there has been renewed interest in supercritical fluids owing to their unique properties and relatively low environmental impact. Greatest attention has been given to the extraction and separation of organic compounds. Supercritical fluids have also been successfully used for particle production, as reaction media, and for the destruction of toxic waste. Supercritical carbon dioxide has been the most widely used supercritical fluid, mainly because it is cheap, relatively nontoxic, and has convenient critical values. Supercritical fluids have also been used on analytical and preparative scales for many biological and other applications. Many papers have been published on the use of supercritical fluids. However, few have acted as a detailed instruction manual for those wanting to use the techniques for the first time. We anticipate that this Methods in Biotechnology volume, Supercritical Fluid Methods and Protocols will s- isfy the need for such a book. Every chapter has been written by experienced workers and should, if closely followed, enable workers with some or no previous experience of supercritical fluids to conduct experiments successfully at the first attempt.