This entertaining guide to some of the best short novels of all time, from a bestselling historian, is the "perfect gift for busy bibliophiles" (BookPage). Experience the joys of literature with this this "exciting guide to all that the world of fiction has to offer" (The New York Times Book Review): a compulsively readable, deeply engaging discussion of great short novels. A journey into fiction designed with our contemporary attention spans in mind, Great Short Books suggests fifty-eight excellent short novels, all under 200 pages--easily readable in a week or less--a fresh approach to a fun, fascinating year of reading. From hard-boiled fiction to magical realism, the 18th century to the present day, Great Short Books spans genres, cultures, countries, and time to present an enchanting and diverse selection of acclaimed and canonical novels. From works in translation like Yu Miri's Tokyo Ueno Station and Marguerite Duras's The Lover to popular, acclaimed authors like Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, this compilation is a celebration of classics from the historic to contemporary--plus a few bestsellers, including Stephen King and Colson Whitehead. Each entry includes the novel's opening lines, a spoiler-free plot summary, a "why you should read it" section, and suggestions for what to read next. "An entertaining journey with a fun, knowledgeable guide" (Booklist), this eclectic collection is a fun and practical book for any passionate reader hoping to broaden their literary IQ--or anyone who wants to find an effortless reentry into reading.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

For years, Kenneth C. Davis has enlightened and enthralled us, opening our minds and tickling our fancies with his wonderfully irreverent, fun, and factual Don't Know Much About(R) books. He has carried readers on wild and edifying rides through history, mythology, geography, the Bible, the Civil War, even across the universe. Now, following on the heels of his triumphant "New York Times" bestseller "Don't Know Much About(R) Anything," comes "Don't Know Much About(R) Anything Else," his latest one-stop potpourri of intriguing information. Chock-full of delightful historical snippets and fascinating people, remarkable milestones and boneheaded blunders, and eye-opening, brain-boggling facts about simply anything and everything in the world, here is the ideal companion for those long car rides, plane flights, quality family hours, or relaxing downtime.

Why did Abraham Lincoln sneak into Washington for his inauguration? was the Gettysburg Address written on the back of an envelope? Where did the Underground Railroad run? Did General Sherman really say, "War is Hell"?

If you can't answer these questions, you're not alone. Millions of Americans, bored by dull textbooks, are in the dark about the most significant event in our history. Now New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes to the rescue, deftly sorting out the players, the politics, and the key events - Emancipation and Reconstruction, Shiloh and Gettysburg, Generals Grant and Lee, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and much more. Drawing on moving eyewitness accounts, Davis includes a wealth of "hidden history" about the roles played by women and African Americans before and during the war, along with lesser-known facts that will enthrall even learned Civil War buffs. Vivid, informative, and hugely entertaining, Don't Know Much About the Civil War is the only book you'll ever need on "the war that never ended."

Who dug those canals on Mars?
What was the biblical star of Bethlehem?
Were the pyramids built by extraterrestrials?

From the ancients who charted the heavens to Star Trek, The X-files, and Apollo 13, outer space has intrigued people through the ages. Yet most of us look up at the night sky and feel totally in the dark when it comes to the basic facts about the universe.

Kenneth C. Davis steps into that void with a lively and readable guide to the discoveries, theories, and real people who have shed light on the mysteries and wonders of the cosmos. Discover why Einstein was such a genius, the truth behind a blue moon or two, the amazing secrets of Stonehenge, and even how one great astronomer lost his nose.

With the fun question-and -answer format that has appealed to the millions of readers of his bestselling Don't Know Much About® series, you'll be taking off on an exciting armchair exploration of the solar system, the Milky Way, and beyond.

Textbook for Orthodontic Therapists is a comprehensive text specifically designed for orthodontic therapists. Written in an accessible and digestible format, it provides the essential clinical and theoretical knowledge needed for daily clinical practice. Covering learning outcomes required by the examining bodies and the General Dental Council (GDC), it includes topics such as common types of orthodontic appliances, frequently found orthodontic problems, skeletal assessment and classification of malocclusion. It also contains information on subjects relevant to the dental profession for example medical emergencies, clinical governance and more. Written to help the reader understand the role and function of an orthodontic therapist, Textbook for Orthodontic Therapists offers support to those undertaking the Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy and to assist those who already work as orthodontic therapists, helping them in their quest to enhance safe and effective care.

This volume represents a comprehensive examination of the newly recognized callimico/marmoset clade, which includes the smallest anthropoid primates on earth. It will explore these diminutive primates in their entirety, with sections on phylogeny, taxonomy and functional anatomy, behavioral ecology, reproductive physiology, as well as address critical conservation issues and the need for conservation action. The topics specifically selected for this volume are pivotal for understanding the evolutionary adaptations and divergence of any primate group, and especially one as diverse and curious as this. The discoveries of new taxa over the last fifteen years along with new genetic data have transformed this group from three genera (one with only a distant relationship to the others) and five recognized species, to five closely related genera, comprising at least 22 species. This volume will be the first to synthesize data on these newly recognized taxa.

This volume is an international endeavor, bringing together primary callimico and marmoset researchers from around the globe, including Brazil and the United States as well as Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. One of the merits of this volume is that it will serve as a readily accessible work that includes the major findings of several key international researchers whose work has not been easily available to English-speaking scholars. In addition, it draws together lab and field researchers, geneticists, anatomists, and behaviorists in an integrated volume that will provide the most detailed and thorough work on either callimicos or marmosets to date. This volume will also provide a timely forum for identifying future avenues of action necessary for more fully understanding and protecting this intriguing primate radiation.

This volume presents new research and critical debates in African book history, and brings together a range of disciplinary perspectives by leading scholars in the subject. It includes case studies from across Africa, ranging from third-century manuscript traditions to twenty-first century internet communications.

European and American drug regulators govern a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry selling its products on the world's two largest medicines markets. This is the first book to investigate how effectively American and supranational EU governments have regulated innovative pharmaceuticals regarding public health during the neo-liberal era of the last 30 years. Drawing on years of fieldwork, the authors demonstrate that pharmaceutical regulation and innovation have been misdirected by commercial interests and misconceived ideologies, which induced a deregulatory political culture contrary to health interests. They dismantle the myth that pharmaceutical innovations necessarily equate with therapeutic advances and explain how it has been perpetuated in the interests of industry by corporate bias within the regulatory state, unwarranted expectations of promissory science, and the emergent patient-industry complex. Endemic across both continents, the misadventures of pharmaceutical deregulation are shown to span many therapeutic areas, including cancer, diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome. The authors propose political changes needed to redirect pharmaceutical regulation in the interests of health.