No study has been carried out examining the gnostic undercurrents in medieval England. For the first time, Natanela Elias investigates the existence of these gnostic traces, using prominent late medieval English literary works such as Piers Plowman and Confessio Amantis and ultimately shedding light on a previously overlooked religious dimension.

In recent years sociologists of sciences have become more interested in scien tific elites, in the way they direct and control the development of sciences and, beyond that, in which the organization of research facilities and resources generally affects research strategies and goals. In this volume we focus on scientific establishments and hierarchies as a means of bringing aspects of these concerns together in their historical and comparative contexts. These terms draw attention to the fact that much scientific work has been pursued within a highly specific organizational setting, that of universities and aca demic research institutes. The effects of this organizational setting as well as its power relations, and its resources in relation to governmental and other non-scientific establishments in society at large, deserve closer attention. One significant aspect of scientific establishments and hierarchies and of the power relations impinging upon scientific research, is the fact that the bulk of leading scientists have the professional career, qualifications and status of a professor. As heads or senior members of departments, institutes and laboratories, professors form the ruling groups of scientific work. They are the main defenders of scientific - or departmental - autonomy, accept or resist innovations in their field, play a leading part in fighting scientific controversies or establishing consensus. Even where research units are not directly controlled by professors, authority structures usually remain strongly hierarchical. These hierarchies too deserve attention in any explora tion of the social characteristics of scientific knowledge and its production."

This is the first major biography of Alexander T. Stewart, known during his lifetime as The Merchant Prince for his success in retail, wholesale, and manufacturing in New York City. At the time of his death in 1876, Stewart was one of the three wealthiest men in America, along with William B. Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt. But, because he died with no surviving children, his name has all but been forgotten. In this work, Stewart is revived, his remarkable success as the father of the department store examined, and his great contributions to retailing acknowledged and recounted. Not only a definitive account, this story of a major figure in America's Gilded Age, as told by Stephen Elias, is also an absorbing tale.

This work fills a gap in the literature on American history and the history of our retail trade. It will be of use to historians, students of merchandising, and those interested in New York's golden age.

"The Civilizing Process" stands out as Norbert Elias' greatest work, tracing the 'civilizing' of manners and personality in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and showing how this was related to the formation of states and the monopolization of power within them. It comprises the two volumes originally published in English as "The History of Manners" and "State Formation and Civilization," now, in a single volume, the book is restored to its original format and made available world-wide to a new generation of readers.

In this new edition, the original text is extensively revised, corrected, and updated. The Revised Edition reveals anew and afresh the greatness of Elias' masterpiece.

In recent years sociologists of sciences have become more interested in scien tific elites, in the way they direct and control the development of sciences and, beyond that, in which the organization of research facilities and resources generally affects research strategies and goals. In this volume we focus on scientific establishments and hierarchies as a means of bringing aspects of these concerns together in their historical and comparative contexts. These terms draw attention to the fact that much scientific work has been pursued within a highly specific organizational setting, that of universities and aca demic research institutes. The effects of this organizational setting as well as its power relations, and its resources in relation to governmental and other non-scientific establishments in society at large, deserve closer attention. One significant aspect of scientific establishments and hierarchies and of the power relations impinging upon scientific research, is the fact that the bulk of leading scientists have the professional career, qualifications and status of a professor. As heads or senior members of departments, institutes and laboratories, professors form the ruling groups of scientific work. They are the main defenders of scientific - or departmental - autonomy, accept or resist innovations in their field, play a leading part in fighting scientific controversies or establishing consensus. Even where research units are not directly controlled by professors, authority structures usually remain strongly hierarchical. These hierarchies too deserve attention in any explora tion of the social characteristics of scientific knowledge and its production."

This bestselling textbook on physical electrochemistry caters to the needs of advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of chemistry, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering. It is unique in covering both the more fundamental, physical aspects as well as the application-oriented practical aspects in a balanced manner. In addition it serves as a self-study text for scientists in industry and research institutions working in related fields. The book can be divided into three parts: (i) the fundamentals of electrochemistry; (ii) the most important electrochemical measurement techniques; and (iii) applications of electrochemistry in materials science and engineering, nanoscience and nanotechnology, and industry. The second edition has been thoroughly revised, extended and updated to reflect the state-of-the-art in the field, for example, electrochemical printing, batteries, fuels cells, supercapacitors, and hydrogen storage.

One day when Tughluk Timur Khn was feeding his dogs with swine's flesh, Shaikh Jaml-ud-Din was brought into his presence. The Khn said to the Shaikh: "Are you better than this dog or is the dog better than you?" The Shaikh replied: "If I have faith I am the better of the two, but if I have no faith this dog is better than I am." The Khn was much impressed by these words, and a great love for Islm took possession of his heart. -from Part I: Chapter 1: "Beginning of the Tarikh-I-Rashidi" When the history of the Moghuls of Central Asia, which covered several tumultuous centuries, was in danger of being lost entirely, one of its players, the military general and ruler of Kashmir MIRZA MUHAMMAD HAIDAR DUGHLAT (1499-1551), took it upon himself to write it down. The result was the legendary Tarikh-i-Rashidi, and this 1893 work-from the all-but anonymous "N. Elias and E. D. Ross"-represents the first full translation into English of one of the great firsthand documents of global history. Elias and Ross's extensive introduction puts the work itself in its historical context and begins to present us with the world it depicts, one of strife and adventure. The grand story that follows is one of kings and invasions told with enormous pride by a participant in the very history we are witnessing. Little known outside academic circles but vital for understanding how Central Asia was shaped, this is an extraordinary work of history.

"Mozart "is a new and brilliant study of the great composer's life and creative genius, written by one of the most important social thinkers of our time.

As Elias shows, Mozart grew up in the tradition of court music, in a society which viewed musicians as manual workers who were expected to produce entertainment for a court audience. Throughout his short life he was constantly in search of work; the only job he was able to find was as an organist at the small court in Salzburg.

Elias describes how the composer tried to live in Vienna as a freelance musician. It was not, however, until the next generation - that of Beethoven - that the necessary conditions were created for such an existence. Mozart failed, he argues, because he took a step towards independence in a society which was not then ready for it. With the aristocracy of Vienna having turned its back on him, with mounting debts, no work and no prospect of fulfilling his innermost desires, Mozart died with the feeling that his social existence had completely foundered, that his life had become empty of meaning.

In "Mozart, "Elias brings his enormous powers of insight to bear on this case of tragic conflict between personal creativity and the tastes of a society which sought to control it.

This book provides a valuable insight into the work and life of Norber Elias - one of the most important social thinkers of the twentieth century. It includes an extended interview with Elias and an autobiographical account which demonstrates the connection between the development of his theories and life experience.