This complete scholarly edition of the collection of manuscript choreographies from c.1565-c.1675 associated with the Inns of Court is the first full-length study of these sources to be published. It offers practical reconstructions of the dances and provides a selection of musical settings simply but idiomatically arranged for four-part instrumental ensemble or keyboard. A Part One centres on the manuscript sources which transmit the Almain, and on the trends and influences that shaped its evolution in Britain from c. 1549 to c. 1675, taking account of both music and choreography.A In viewing the Almain within its broader historical context, Ian Payne throws new light on the dance, arguing that, together with the 'measures' which accompany it in the choreographies, it owes an even greater debt to the English country dance than has hitherto been acknowledged, a popular style that received its fullest expression in Playford's English Dancing Master of 1651. A The second part of the book focuses on the dances themselves. The steps are described in detail and reconstructions provided for the nine Almains and some of the other measures included in the manuscripts. Part Three comprises a complete critical edition of the manuscripts. A These easily performable versions of the dances will be an invaluable aid to those wishing to learn the dances, reconstruct them for stagings of Shakespeare's plays or Jacobean masques, and for dance historians.

The New Zealand Cricket Almanack is the cricket lover's bible and is regarded worldwide as one of the finest books of its kind. The 73rd edition contains all the details of another full year of cricket at all levels. As usual, there is a detailed records section and a fascinating collection of the season's happenings.

Who do humans think they are?! A cacophony of answers in the face of global challenges - like climate change, artificial intelligence, racism, nationalism, terrorism, feminism, abortion, gene therapy, gender constructivism - shows we do not agree. To a deeply divided, despondent world, the Bible speaks today about the human condition and destiny by pointing us to Jesus Christ, the true human, the image of God. Ian Payne’s conviction is that the most important answer to the question of humanity is God's. He expounds a range of Old and New Testament passages and examines a wide range of issues in being human today. This biblical theology shows that hope and meaning for humans are found in remembering and trusting God's gift and goal. Part 1: Created in the image of God Part 2: Image of God renewed in Christ Part 3: Issues in being human