In his new guide, author C. David Crouch reveals the eighty-three principles of excellentology to help you build excellence in your life. Using "building a house" as a metaphor, he guides you in your own personal journey toward excellence. You can learn how to lay a strong foundation by developing a mission, vision, principles, and standards; recognize five pillars of performance that map a clear path toward excellence; assemble a roof that allows you to measure your progress at the organizational, team, and individual levels; and improve your ability to lead yourself and others toward excellence.

By applying the model in five diverse environments-an organization, a team, a church, a family, and an individual life-Crouch demonstrates its effective use for any endeavor. He also applies his model for excellence to a sixth environment-the United States of America-revealing some interesting considerations.

Build a life of joy, peace, significance, and fulfillment for yourself and those around you with "The Excellent Experience."

Tourism studies and media studies both address key issues about how we perceive the world. They raise acute questions about how we relate local knowledge and immediate experience to wider global processes, and they both play a major role in creating our map of national and international cultures. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this book explores the interactions between tourism and media practices within a contemporary culture in which the consumption of images has become increasingly significant. A number of common themes and concerns arise, and the contributions included are divided between those: written from media studies awareness perspective, concerned with the way the media imagines travel and tourism written from the point of view of the study of tourism, considering how tourism practices are affected or altered by the media that attempt a direct comparison between the practices of tourism and the media. Incorporating case study material from the UK, the Caribbean, Australia, the US, France and Switzerland, this significant text - ideal for students of culture, media and tourism studies - discusses tourism and the media as separate processes through which identity is constructed in relation to space and place.

This volume considers leisure/tourism as an encounter. An encounter that exists between people, between people and space and between people and their expectations, experiences and desires. The contributors explore diverse aspects of leisure and tourism, ranging from the methodologies behind leisure practices to detailed case studies including: Disneyland, Paris; tourism in sacred landscapes; leisure practices in cyberspace; leisure and yachting; use of recreational/holiday cottages; National Parks; and local parks and gardens. Presenting a mix of attitudes and ideas concerning leisure and tourism, this book documents a debate, placing geography at its centre.

Allotments are sanctuaries for growing, often on the fringes of suburbia, where life is getting ever more stressful and expensive. Here, a simple urge to grow-your-own or become self-sufficient, brings us closer to a community of people, wildlife and plants that are often more diverse than the cities and towns that surround them. An allotment is a utopia. It is a green place where anyone can occupy a piece of land, and grow with freedom of expression. Allotmenteering started with The Diggers in seventeenth-century Surrey, in response to the Enclosure Acts which deprived ordinary people of access to land. But the idea spread, first across England and the British Isles, then through Europe and the world. 'The Allotment', originally published in 1988, is the classic study of allotments. Encompassing the oral recordings of plot-holders alongside descriptions of regional variations on the plot itself, such as pigeon-fancying, seed collecting or leek competitions, it looks at British society and history through the prism of allotments. With a new introduction by Olivia Laing, this is a story that is just as relevant today, and is essential for those interested in social history, land ownership and gardening in twenty-first century Britain.

An authoritative and comprehensive account of an important area centred around the town of Howden. This is the second part of a study of Howdenshire, containing a history of the town of Howden and its ancient minster, the least known of the great medieval churches of Yorkshire. The volume also deals with the lordship and civilunit of which the town was the heart, the area called Howdenshire, one of the more complicated regions of England. The book offers a history of the origins and development of the liberty of the bishop of Durham, its ruler until 1836. The liberty of Howdenshire covered all the bishop's possessions in the East Riding, and the book looks at the liberty's scattered exclaves across it, offering a full township and parish study of the most important of them, Welton with Melton, a distant and detached part of Howdenshire until 1894. Finally, the book deals with the two ancient commons associated with Howdenshire. The first is Bishopsoil, a common of 4,000 acres within the bishop's lordship. The volume also contains a study of the administration, drainage and ecology of the great 4,500 acre wetland common of Wallingfen, east of Howdenshire, which from around 1280 until 1781 was governed by the gentry and freeholders of the surrounding parishes, an area of England unique in its history, governance and economy.

David Crouch's William Marshal, now in its third edition, depicts this intriguing medieval figure as a ruthless opportunist, astute courtier, manipulative politician and a brutal but efficient soldier. Born the fourth son of a minor baron, he ended his days as Earl of Pembroke and Regent of England, and was the only medieval knight to have a contemporary biography written about him. Using this biography in addition to the many other primary sources dedicated to him, the author provides a narrative of William Marshal and a survey of the times in which he lived and also considers the problems and questions posed by the History. The third edition has been extensively updated and revised, and now includes: expanded sections on the reality of medieval tournaments and warfare as it is described in the biography an in-depth study of Marshal's family life and children based on the latest research including material from the new edition of the Marshal family acts and letters more on Marshal's royal patrons and contemporaries, in particular the relationship between Marshal and his nemesis, King John. William Marshal explores the world of medieval knighthood and the the aristocratic life of the times in engaging, readable prose, and is a unique resource for students of medieval history.

At last: an authoritative, up to date account of the troubled reign of King Stephen, by a leading scholar of the Anglo-Norman world. David Crouch covers every aspect of the period - the king and the empress, the aristocracy, the Church, government and the nation at large. He also looks at the wider dimensions of the story, in Scotland, Wales, Normandy and elsewhere. The result (weaving its discussions around a vigorous narrative core) is a a work of major scholarship. A must for specialist and amateur medievalists alike.

The spatial turn has been deeply influential across the humanities and social sciences for several decades. Yet despite this long term influence most volumes focus mainly on geography and tend to take a Eurocentric approach to the topic. The Question of Space takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding how the spatial turn has affected other disciplines. By connecting developments across radically different fields the volume bridges the very borders that separate the academic space. From new geographies through performance, the internet, politics and the arts, the distinctive chapters undertake conversations that often surprisingly converge in approach, questions and insights Together the chapters transcend longstanding disciplinary boundaries to build a constructive dialogue around the question of space.

The spatial turn has been deeply influential across the humanities and social sciences for several decades. Yet despite this long term influence most volumes focus mainly on geography and tend to take a Eurocentric approach to the topic. The Question of Space takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding how the spatial turn has affected other disciplines. By connecting developments across radically different fields the volume bridges the very borders that separate the academic space. From new geographies through performance, the internet, politics and the arts, the distinctive chapters undertake conversations that often surprisingly converge in approach, questions and insights Together the chapters transcend longstanding disciplinary boundaries to build a constructive dialogue around the question of space.

For 300 years separate and mutually uncomprehending English and French historiographies have confused the history of medieval aristocracy. Unpicking the basic assumptions behind both national traditions, this book explains them, reconciles them and offers entirely new ways to take the study of aristocracy forward in both England and France. The Birth of Nobility analyses the enormous international field of publications on the subject of medieval aristocracy, breaking it down into four key debates: noble conduct, noble lineage, noble class and noble power. Each issue is subjected to a thorough review by comparing current scholarship with what a vast range of historical source material actually says. It identifies the points of divergence in the national traditions of each of these debates and highlights where they have been mutually incomprehensible. For students studying medieval Europe.

Introduces undergraduates to the key debates regarding space and culture and the key theoretical arguments which guide cultural geographical work. This book addresses the impact, significance, and characteristics of the 'cultural turn' in contemporary geography. It focuses on the development of the cultural geography subdiscipline and on what has made it a peculiar and unique realm of study. It demonstrates the importance of culture in the development of debates in other subdisciplines within geography and beyond. In line with these previous themes, the significance of space in the production of cultural values and expressions is also developed. Along with its timely examination of the health of the cultural geographical subdiscipline, this book is to be valued for its analysis of the impact of cultural theory on studies elsewhere in geography and of ideas of space and spatiality elsewhere in the social sciences.

David Crouch's William Marshal, now in its third edition, depicts this intriguing medieval figure as a ruthless opportunist, astute courtier, manipulative politician and a brutal but efficient soldier. Born the fourth son of a minor baron, he ended his days as Earl of Pembroke and Regent of England, and was the only medieval knight to have a contemporary biography written about him. Using this biography in addition to the many other primary sources dedicated to him, the author provides a narrative of William Marshal and a survey of the times in which he lived and also considers the problems and questions posed by the History. The third edition has been extensively updated and revised, and now includes: expanded sections on the reality of medieval tournaments and warfare as it is described in the biography an in-depth study of Marshal's family life and children based on the latest research including material from the new edition of the Marshal family acts and letters more on Marshal's royal patrons and contemporaries, in particular the relationship between Marshal and his nemesis, King John. William Marshal explores the world of medieval knighthood and the the aristocratic life of the times in engaging, readable prose, and is a unique resource for students of medieval history.

David Crouch provides a broad definition of aristorcracy by examining the ways aristocrats behaved and lived between 1000 and 1300. He analyses life-style, class and luxurious living in those years. A distinctive feature of the book is that it takes a British, rather than Anglocentric, view - looking at the penetration of Welsh and Scottish society by Anglo-French ideas of aristocracy.

Aspects of the reign of King Henry re-examined, from royal biography to administrative history. It is a testament to C. Warren Hollister's ongoing influence that the reign of Henry I, until his work on the period relatively neglected, is now a vibrant field of inquiry - to which this collection, a special volume of the Haskins Society Journal dedicated to his memory, makes a significant contribution. Its distinguished contributors, many former Hollister students, cover a wide range of areas: royal biography; political history, including Church-Staterelations and relations with neighbors such as Maine and Ireland as well as the English people Henry ruled; administrative history, including fiscal management; and prosopography, especially of the major developments in the Anglo-Norman aristocracy under Henry's reign. This volume thus continues and extends Hollister's scholarly legacy. Contributors: ROBERT S. BABCOCK, RICHARD E. BARTON, STEPHANIE MOOERS CHRISTELOW, DAVID CROUCH, RAGENA C. DE ARAGON, LOIS L. HUNEYCUTT, DAVID S. SPEAR, HEATHER J. TANNER, KATHLEEN THOMPSON, ANN WILLIAMS, SALLY N. VAUGHN.

For 300 years separate and mutually uncomprehending English and French historiographies have confused the history of medieval aristocracy. Unpicking the basic assumptions behind both national traditions, this book explains them, reconciles them and offers entirely new ways to take the study of aristocracy forward in both England and France. The Birth of Nobility analyses the enormous international field of publications on the subject of medieval aristocracy, breaking it down into four key debates: noble conduct, noble lineage, noble class and noble power. Each issue is subjected to a thorough review by comparing current scholarship with what a vast range of historical source material actually says. It identifies the points of divergence in the national traditions of each of these debates and highlights where they have been mutually incomprehensible. For students studying medieval Europe.

At last: an authoritative, up to date account of the troubled reign of King Stephen, by a leading scholar of the Anglo-Norman world. David Crouch covers every aspect of the period - the king and the empress, the aristocracy, the Church, government and the nation at large. He also looks at the wider dimensions of the story, in Scotland, Wales, Normandy and elsewhere. The result (weaving its discussions around a vigorous narrative core) is a a work of major scholarship. A must for specialist and amateur medievalists alike.

Introduces undergraduates to the key debates regarding space and culture and the key theoretical arguments which guide cultural geographical work. This book addresses the impact, significance, and characteristics of the 'cultural turn' in contemporary geography. It focuses on the development of the cultural geography subdiscipline and on what has made it a peculiar and unique realm of study. It demonstrates the importance of culture in the development of debates in other subdisciplines within geography and beyond. In line with these previous themes, the significance of space in the production of cultural values and expressions is also developed. Along with its timely examination of the health of the cultural geographical subdiscipline, this book is to be valued for its analysis of the impact of cultural theory on studies elsewhere in geography and of ideas of space and spatiality elsewhere in the social sciences.

The idea of 'flirting' with space is central to this book. Space is conceptualised as being in constant flux as we make our way through various contexts in our daily lives, and is considered in relation to encounters with complexities and flows of material culture. This book focuses on journeys, which are perceived as dynamic processes of contemporary life and its spaces, and how creativity happens in the inter-relations of space and journeys encourage creativity. Unravelled through a range of empirical case studies of journeys through and encountered with space, this book builds new critical syntheses of the intertwining of space and life. Based on investigations undertaken by the author over the past 20 years, it explores the mundane and the exotic, the 'lay' and the 'artistic', combining and inter-relating them in a diversity of time and expression, fleeting and surviving. Such investigations, using both visual and non-visual material, include examinations of allotment holding, the work of artists, caravanning and tourism, photography and parish maps. The analyses of such seemingly disparate subjects are linked together and build on each other to create a fascinating and original view of humanity's interaction with space. Included are fresh discussions of belonging, disorientation and the working of identity and play. The notion of 'gentle politics' is introduced.

David Crouch provides a broad definition of aristorcracy by examining the ways aristocrats behaved and lived between 1000 and 1300. He analyses life-style, class and luxurious living in those years. A distinctive feature of the book is that it takes a British, rather than Anglocentric, view - looking at the penetration of Welsh and Scottish society by Anglo-French ideas of aristocracy.

A survey both of medieval biographical writings, and the problems of recovering medieval lives. Biography is one of the oldest, most popular and most tenacious of literary forms. Perhaps the best attested narrative form of the Middle Ages, it continues to draw modern historians of the medieval period to its peculiar challenge to explicate the general through the particular: the biographer's decisions to impose or to resist the imposition of order on biographical remnants raise issues which go to the heart of historical method. This collection, compiled in honour of a distinguished modern exponent of the art of biography, contains sixteen essays by leading scholars which examine the limits and possibilities of the genre for the period between 750AD and 1250AD. Ranging from pivotal figures such as Charlemagne, William the Conqueror and St Bernard, to the anonymous female skeleton in an Anglo-Saxon grave, from kings and queens to clerks and saints, and from individual to the collective biographies,this collection investigates both medieval biographical writings, and the issues surrounding the writing of medieval lives. Professor DAVID BATES is Director of the Institute of Historical Research; Dr JULIA CRICK and DrSARAH HAMILTON teach in the Department of History at the University of Exeter. Contributors: JANET L. NELSON, ROBIN FLEMING, BARBARA YORKE, RICHARD ABELS, SIMON KEYNES, PAULINE STAFFORD, ELISABETH VAN HOUTS, DAVID BATES,JANE MARTINDALE, CHRISTOPHER HOLDSWORTH, LINDY GRANT, MARJORIE CHIBNALL, EDMUND KING, JOHN GILLINGHAM, DAVID CROUCH, NICHOLAS VINCENT

Tourism studies and media studies both address key issues about how we perceive the world. They raise acute questions about how we relate local knowledge and immediate experience to wider global processes and both play a major role in creating our map of national and international cultures. The Media and the Tourist Imagination adopts a multidisciplinary approach to explore the interactions between tourism and media practices within a contemporary culture in which the consumption of images has become increasingly significant. The contributions are divided between those written from media studies awareness, concerned with the way the media imagine travel and tourism; those written from the point of view of the study of tourism, which consider how tourism practices are affected or inflected by the media, and those that attempt a direct comparison between the practices of tourism and the media. A number of common themes and concerns arise with particular emphasis upon the image as the object of consumption. collection is also concerned to mark out their different approaches to the structuring and organizin of experience and the way in which this leads to a dynamic interchange between them. Tourism and the media are discussed as separate processes through which identity is constructed in relation to space and place.

David Crouch presents a reconstruction and edition of the cartulary of the one of Yorkshire's leading medieval families. The Methams were once a leading gentry family of Yorkshire, whose origins can be traced to a member of the twelfth-century minster community of Howden. By 1405 the family had reached a peak of its influence, with great estates spread across the East Riding and Vale of York acquired through marriage, the rewards of office and also by exploiting the debt market. At that point Sir Alexander Metham commissioned a cartulary, a book in which to register the family's deeds and other documents, of which there were once well over a thousand. The cartulary survived till around 1680 and carried with it a large part of the history of the East Riding. But then it disappeared, though not before it had attracted the attention of two great Yorkshire antiquaries, Dr Nathaniel Johnston and James Torre. Their transcripts from this lost volume allow a reconstruction of over 700 items of its former contents, and with it open a new window on Yorkshire in the middle ages. The edition offers in addition a new biography of Torre and a key to the decoding of Johnston's notorious handwriting, which has frustrated and defeated scholars for over two centuries.

Detailed investigation of the religious gild, showing its importance to all aspects of medieval life. The religious gild was central to the structure of late medieval society, providing lay people with a focus for public expressions of orthodox piety that accorded with the doctrinal views of government between 1399 and 1531. Usingevidence from the county of Yorkshire, this book argues that beyond their devotional and ceremonial roles, the influence of these basically pious institutions permeated all aspects of late medieval political, social and economicactivity. The author begins by discussing the evidence for Yorkshire gilds in the late fourteenth century, moving on to survey the changing distribution, development, and membership of fraternities throughout the county over the next century and a half. Special attention is given to the ways in which the religious gilds of Yorkshire interacted with town government, with clerical bodies, with occupational organisations, and with one another, illustrated with detailed case-studies of the gilds of Corpus Christi, York, and St Mary in Holy Trinity, Hull, which are particularly well-documented. The final section of the book deals with the decline and disappearance of religious gilds during the Reformation, showing how their devotional purposes were eroded by the new policies of central government and how many gilds anticipated their official dissolution. DAVID J.F. CROUCH gained his D.Phil fromthe University of York.