In "A Life Marketed as Fiction," Karen Morton argues for a reevaluation of the prolific late eighteenth century author Eliza Parsons, who at age fifty was forced to begin writing novels to provide for her family after her husband's death. In her career, she published nineteen novels, spanning more than sixty volumes, but is chiefly remembered today as the author of two of the "horrid novels" mentioned in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey."

In this book, the first full-length study of Parsons' works, Morton uncovers never before revealed biographical information about this elusive author and corrects the errors of previous scholars before turning to an in-depth analysis of Parsons' works. Included are chapters on her Gothic novels and her novels of contemporary manners, but Morton delves deeper and also looks for insight into the little-known Parsons by examining her prefaces, dedications, and the letters in which she solicited money. What emerges is a portrait of a fascinating, talented, and important neglected woman writer - an author who merits recognition as more than just a minor Gothic novelist.

Chapters in the book include: Introduction, Biography, Dedications, Prefaces, Requests for Money, Novels of Contemporary Manners, Gothic Novels, and Biographical Novels. Also included is an appendix containing the subscription list of the 437 subscribers to Parsons' first novel, "The History of Miss Meredith" (1790), the full text of all extant reviews of her works published between 1790 and 1807, and a bibliography.

Pro Oracle SQL unlocks the power of SQL in the Oracle Database one of the most potent SQL implementations on the market today. To master it requires a three-pronged approach: learn the language features, learn the supporting features that Oracle provides to help use the language effectively, and learn to think and work in sets. Karen Morton and her team help you master powerful aspects of Oracle SQL not found in competing databases. You ll learn analytic functions, the MODEL clause, and advanced grouping syntax techniques that will help in creating good queries for reporting and business intelligence applications. Pro Oracle SQL also helps you minimize parsing overhead, read execution plans, test for correct results, and exert control over SQL execution in your database. You ll learn when to create indexes, how to verify that they make a difference, how to use SQL Profiles to optimize SQL in packaged applications, and much more. You ll also understand how SQL is optimized for working in sets, and that the key to getting accurate results lies in making sure that queries ask clear and precise questions. What s the bottom-line?Pro Oracle SQL helps you work at a truly professional level in Oracle dialect of SQL. You ll master the language, the tools to work effectively with the language, and the right way to think about a problem in SQL. Pro Oracle SQL helps you rise above the crowd to provide stellar service in your chosen profession. * Endorsed by the OakTable Network, a group of Oracle technologists well-known for their rigorous and scientific approach to Oracle Database performance * Comprehensive goes beyond the language with a focus on what you need to know to write successful queries and data manipulation statements. What you'll learn * Master powerful SQL features implemented only in Oracle Database * Read and interpret SQL execution plans * Quickly diagnose and fix badly performing SQL * Control execution plans through hints, profiles, and plan baselines * Optimize queries within packaged applications without touching the code * Recognize when not to waste time on SQL that is performing optimally Who this book is for Pro Oracle SQL is aimed at developers and database administrators who submit SQL for execution by an Oracle database.Readers should already know the basic four SQL statements, and be ready to learn deeply about Oracle s specific implementation of the language, including Oracle-specific features and syntax. Readers should also want to learn about Oracle Database features such as analytic queries, the MODEL clause, and subquery refactoring that are designed to help developers and DBAs exert control over their SQL environment and its execution.

Pro Oracle SQL, Second Edition unlocks the power of SQL in the Oracle database--one of the most potent SQL implementations on the market today. To master it requires a multi-pronged approach: learn the language features, learn how and why the language features work, learn the supporting features that Oracle provides to help use the language effectively, and learn to think and work in sets. Karen Morton has updated the content for Oracle version 12c and helps you master powerful aspects of Oracle SQL from the inside-out. You'll learn analytic functions, the MODEL clause, and advanced grouping syntax--features that will help in creating good queries for reporting and business intelligence applications. Pro Oracle SQL, Second Edition also helps you minimize parsing overhead, read execution plans, test for correct results, understand performance management, and exert control over SQL execution in your database. You'll learn when to create indexes, how to verify that they make a difference, how to use SQL Baselines and Profiles to optimize and stabilize SQL execution plans, and much more.You'll also understand how SQL is optimized for working in sets, and that the key to getting accurate results lies in making sure that queries ask clear and precise questions. Pro Oracle SQL, Second Edition helps you work at a truly professional level in the Oracle dialect of SQL. You'll master the language, the tools to work effectively with the language, and the right way to think about a problem in SQL. * Endorsed by the OakTable Network, a group of Oracle technologists well-known for their rigorous and scientific approach to Oracle Database performance * Comprehensive--goes beyond the language with a focus on what you need to know to write successful queries and data manipulation statements. * Performance focused--teaches you how to measure the performance of your SQL statements and not just the syntax.What you'll learn * Master powerful SQL features implemented in the Oracle Database * Understand how the Oracle Optimizer develops execution plans * Read and interpret SQL execution plans * Quickly diagnose and fix badly performing SQL * Control execution plans through hints, profiles, and plan baselines * Optimize queries within packaged applications without touching the code * Recognize when not to waste time on SQL that is performing optimally Who this book is for Pro Oracle SQL, Second Edition is aimed at developers and database administrators who submit SQL for execution by an Oracle database. Readers should already know the basic four SQL statements, and be ready to learn deeply about Oracle's specific implementation of the language, including Oracle-specific features and syntax. Readers should also want to learn about Oracle Database features such as analytic queries, the MODEL clause, and the WITH clause (subquery factoring) that are designed to help developers and database administrators exert control over their SQL environment and its execution.

The good old Count Renaud is dead, and his will makes the degenerate Rhodophil his heir, disinheriting his other son Ferdinand, who has married against his father's wishes. Rhodophil promises to share his new riches with his younger brother and his wife Claudina, but Ferdinand hears a mysterious voice from beyond the grave, warning him to flee his brother and his wife to save himself from sin and death

Ferdinand obeys the supernatural warning and sets out to find fortune and adventure. In the course of his quest he will encounter a recluse in a ruined castle with a horrible secret, find himself captured and imprisoned by the Turkish army, and encounter one of Gothic literature's most depraved female characters, the monstrous Fatima. And if he survives all these dangers, Ferdinand must return to Renaud Castle to solve the mystery of the ghostly voice and uncover the terrible truth about his wife and his brother

This edition includes the unabridged text of the four volume 1796 edition, with a new introduction and notes by Karen Morton, and reproductions of illustrations from the 1796 and 1824 editions.