Introduces those with relatively little mathematical training and only an intermediate economic theory course to the important economic issues of collective choice and public welfare. Two central topics are addressed: the ability of government to assess and reflect social concerns, and the effectiveness of government in achieving its stated objectives. An important book for anyone interested in economic policy making.

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Brilliant. The unwritten Bowie book that needed writing' CAITLIN MORAN 'Splendid. Provides plenty of evidence of Bowie's restless, rummaging intelligence, and his pleasure in the fact that books allow readers to slip into someone else's skin and try it on for size' THE TIMES 'A witty and enlightening analysis of Bowie's 100 essential books . . . A handy, amusing, light-touch precis' OBSERVER 'What is your idea of perfect happiness?' 'Reading.' 'What is the quality you most like in a man?' 'The ability to return books.' Three years before he died, David Bowie made a list of the one hundred books that had transformed his life - a list that formed something akin to an autobiography. From Madame Bovary to A Clockwork Orange, the Iliad to the Beano, these were the publications that had fuelled his creativity and shaped who he was. In Bowie's Books, John O'Connell explores this list in the form of one hundred short essays, each offering a perspective on the man, performer and creator that is Bowie, his work as an artist and the era that he lived in. Brilliantly illustrated throughout and the perfect gift for Bowie fans and book lovers, Bowie's Books is much more than a list of books you should read in your lifetime: it is a unique insight into one of the greatest minds of our times, and an indispensable part of the legacy that Bowie left behind.

This book is a record of the development of an institution with a remarkable history. Its foundations go back to the early part of the nineteenth century when the local Huddersfield community decided it wanted a place of learning to promote the education of the working classes. Since 1825 development has encompassed a mechanics institution, a female educational institute, a college of technology and a polytechnic, before becoming the University of Huddersfield we know today. The author, the late John O'Connell, was a Professor at Huddersfield and this book draws upon his research which now resides in the University archives.

This book concerns the foundation and development of the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, which has recently celebrated 50 years of performances. Also called 'Siamsa Tíre', it examines the ways in which the Theatre provides a locus for promoting and transmitting customary knowledge that had become lost due to modernisation and urbanisation. It also interrogates critically the role of the Theatre in presenting and representing local traditions to non-local audiences, tourism being a key component in the sustainable continuation of expressive culture.The book addresses three issues. First, it considers performance practice at the Theatre with reference to embodiment and identity. Second, it looks at cultural transmission at the Theatre from the perspectives of preservation and perpetuation. Here, it highlights the innovative aspiration (at the time) towards sustainable development where the traditional (as performing arts) was framed within the non-traditional (as staged folklore) to offer a radical model for cultural curatorship and economic regeneration. Third, it observes the Theatre from the vantages of power and politics. That is, the book evaluates the ideological issues and philosophical problems that arise when viewing 'Siamsa Tíre' as staged folklore, a dramatic medium that has often been employed at a global level to promote either international accord or intranational dissent. The work was developed in close collaboration with the founder and artistic director, Pat Ahern, and the performing company. Many contributors to this volume have studied and worked with the work of the company for many years. The volume also benefits for the insights of performers and management personnel.

This book is a celebration of letter-writing in all its guises, a showcase for the masterpieces we would all write if we had the time and inclination - the thank-you letter, a riotous despatch from a far-flung location, that heartfelt declaration of love.

Arthur Conan Doyle asks young journalist Bertram Fletcher Robinson to collaborate on a story. A research trip to deepest Dartmoor cements their friendship as they start work on what will become one of the world's most famous tales, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. But the experience will prove traumatic for both of them.