Fourth edition of the industry-renowned Railway Engineering Encyclopaedia. Expanded, enhanced, fully cross-referenced and illustrated throughout this is an indispensable book for minister, professional, trainee and enthusiast alike.

In examining the major critical humorists that have clashed with religion, this book investigates the dynamics at the heart of this long-standing cultural antagonism. The dramatic skirmishes recounted here revolve around various facets of religion, including its policies and edicts, its political manifestations, and the nature of faith itself. The popular wits profiled in each chapter draw upon an array of humor techniques (satire, parody, sarcasm, irony, hyperbole, jokes, puns, and the grotesque), and their expressions are analyzed in the contexts of their particular forms and methods. Genres covered include literature (Twain, Vonnegut), journalism (Mencken, Hitchens), film (Monty Python), cartoons (Charlie Hebdo), cartoon sit-coms (The Simpsons, South Park), stand-up comedy (Carlin, Maher), music (Newman, Pussy Riot), performance monologue (Sweeney), and magic (Jillette). Structured in a loose chronology that allows readers to dip and sip as they choose, this entertaining and insightful survey highlights the expressive diversity of our frontline secular humorists in a sweep that spans the last 150 years.

Humour, as much as any other trait, defines British cultural identity. It is 'crucial in the English sense of nation,' argues humour scholar Andy Medhurst; 'To be properly English you must have a sense of humour,' opines historian Antony Easthope. Author Zadie Smith perceives British humour as a national coping mechanism, stating, 'You don't have to be funny to live here, but it helps.' Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten concurs, commenting, 'There's a sense of comedy in the English that even in your grimmest moments you laugh.' Although humour invariably functions as a relief valve for the British, it is also often deployed for the purposes of combat. From the court jesters of old to the rock wits of today, British humorists - across the arts - have been the pioneers of rebellion, chastising society's hypocrites, exploiters and phonies, while simultaneously slighting the very institutions that maintain them. The best of the British wits are (to steal a coinage from The Clash) 'bullshit detectors' with subversion on their minds and the jugulars of their enemies in their sights. Such subversive humour is held dear in British hearts and minds, and it runs deep in their history. Historian Chris Rojek explains how the kind of foul-mouthed, abusive language typical of British (punk) humour has its antecedents in prior idioms like the billingsgate oath: 'Humour, often of an extraordinary coruscating and vehement type, has been a characteristic of the British since at least feudal times, when the ironic oaths against the monarchy and the sulfurous 'Billingsgate' uttered against the Church and anyone in power were widespread features of popular culture. Rojek proceeds to fast forward to 1977, citing the Sex Pistols' 'Sod the Jubilee' campaign as a contemporary update of the Billingsgate oath. For Rojek, the omnipresence of British caustic humour accounts for why the nation has historically been more inclined toward expressions of subversive rebellion than to violent revolution. 'Protest has been conducted not with guns and grenades, but with biting comedy and graffiti,' he observes. As an outlet for venting and as an alternative means of protest, Brit wit, not surprisingly, has developed distinctive communicative patterns, with linguistic flair and creative flourishes starring as its key features. Far more than American humour, for example, British humour revels in colourful language, in lyrical invective, in surrogate mock warfare. One witnesses such humour daily in the Houses of Parliament, where well-crafted barbs are traded across the aisle, the thinly veiled insults cushioned by the creativity of the inherent humour. Such wit is equally evident throughout the history of British rock, where rebellion has defined the rock impulse and comedic dissent has been a seemingly instinctual activity.

The fourth edition of the industry-renowned Encyclopaedia. Fully revised, expanded and enhanced by over a hundred pages. This is the only cross-discipline reference and is fast becoming an industry standard.

Third Edition of the renowned UK Railway industry terminology reference. Completely revised and updated with 80 extra pages of acronyms, terms and illustrations.

Rock music has been the principal outlet of youth rebellion for more than half a century, and though rock rebels have been idolized and profiled extensively, their humor has not been at the center of attention. In Rebels Wit Attitude, music writer Iain Ellis throws a spotlight on the history of humor in rock music, and its use as a weapon of anti-establishment rebellion. The performers who are the subjects of Ellis's study are not merely musicians or comedians--they are artists whose works exude defiance and resistance, whether aimed at social structures, cultural mores, political systems, or the music industry itself. Ellis proves that the most subversive rock humorists serve as the conscience of our culture. They criticize pretensions, satirize hypocrisy, and pour scorn on power, corruption, and lies. Discussing the work of iconic figures as diverse as Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, the Ramones, the Talking Heads, the Beastie Boys, Missy Elliott, and Madonna, Ellis reveals how issues of politics, nationality, ethics, genre, generation, art, social class, race, gender, and sexuality have energized their expressions of rock (and) humor, in turn affecting social tides in America. Rebels Wit Attitude is an entertaining look at some of the greatest rebels in American rock culture and a fascinating history of humor and dissent.