There is a radical agency in John Moriarty's work that we as readers don't always spot. As our heads spin with mythological cross-referencing, poetical leaps and the philosophical bent, it is clear that there is nothing domestic, nothing tame, about John Moriarty. The power of Moriarty is that he has found a thousand beautiful ways to say something very disturbing: we have to change our lives. In this small book of big thoughts, award-winning author, mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw situates Moriarty's work with respect to our eco-conscious era and a readership seeking spiritual and philosophical guidance. Moriarty asks of us only one thing - that we move our gaze from seeing to beholding. And there the trouble begins, when we realize there is a world beyond us far bigger than our temporary ambitions. A Hut at the Edge of the Village presents a collection of Moriarty's writings ordered thematically, with sections ranging from place, love and wildness through to voyaging, ceremony and the legitimacy of sorrow. These carefully chosen extracts are supported by an introduction by Martin Shaw and foreword by Tommy Tiernan, a long-time admirer of Moriarty's work. According to Shaw, 'These are not pastoral times we are living in, but prophetic. We are at a moment when the world as we understand it has been turned upside down. The challenge is that there are fewer and fewer people who can interpret such happenings in a deep, soulful way. Moriarty can do that. When culture is in woeful crisis, the insights never come from parliament, senate, or committee; they come from the hut at the edge of the village. Let's go there. There is tremendous, unexpected hope waiting.'

Atomistic computer simulations are often at the heart of modern attempts to predict and understand the physical properties of real materials, including the vast domain of metals and alloys. Historically, highly simplified empirical potentials have been used to provide the interatomic forces needed to perform such simulations, but true predictive power in these materials emanates from fundamental quantum mechanics. In metals and alloys especially, a viable path forward to the vastly larger length and time scales offered by empirical potentials, while retaining the predictive power of quantum mechanics, is to course-grain the underlying electronic structure of the material and systematically derive quantum-based interatomic potentials from first-principles. This book spans the entire process from foundation in fundamental theory, to the development of accurate quantum-based potentials for real materials, to the wide-spread application of the potentials to the atomistic simulation of structural, thermodynamic, defect and mechanical properties of metals and alloys.

As the shortest candidate in the 2004 U.S. Presidential contest, Butternut O'Day enjoyed a distinct view of the political process. During her all-too-brief campaign, Butternut corresponded with dozens of business professionals, retailers, service providers, journalists, public personalities and civic leaders.

While the resulting letters expose Butternut's naivete about Presidential politics (as well as sportfishing, air travel, Botox, boxing, and many other subjects), they also capture a singular moment in the history of the United States by answering numerous provocative questions. Can a wee person (3'9") run for President? Can a wee person (3'9") be taken seriously? Can a wee person (3'9") find a Presidential suite at Motel 6?

"Wee, The People: Long Letters from a Short Presidential Candidate" is Butternut's endeavor to keep alive the belief that one person--no matter how tall or short, thin or plump, young or old, skilled or untrained--can make a difference in the world.