In 1968, nine sailors set off on the most daring race ever held: to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It was a feat that had never been accomplished and one that would forever change the face of sailing. Ten months later, only one of the nine men would cross the finish line and earn fame, wealth, and glory. For the others, the reward was madness, failure, and death.

In this extraordinary book, Peter Nichols chronicles a contest of the individual against the sea, waged at a time before cell phones, satellite dishes, and electronic positioning systems. A Voyage for Madmen is a tale of sailors driven by their own dreams and demons, of horrific storms in the Southern Ocean, and of those riveting moments when a split-second decision means the difference between life and death.

Published to coincide with the Golden Globe Race's 50th Anniversary It lay like a gauntlet thrown down; to sail around the world alone and non-stop. No one had ever done it, no one knew if it could be done. In 1968, nine men - six Englishmen, two Frenchmen and an Italian - set out to try, a race born of coincidence of their timing. One didn't even know how to sail. They had more in common with Captain Cook or Ferdinand Magellan than with the high-tech, extreme sailors of today, a mere forty years later. It was not the sea or the weather that determined the nature of their voyages but the men they were, and they were as different from one another as Scott from Amundsen. Only one of the nine crossed the finishing line after ten months at sea. The rest encountered despair, sublimity, madness and even death.

Since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, the notion that capitalism has become too abstract for all but the most rarefied specialists to understand has been widely presupposed. Yet even in academic circles, the question of abstraction itself - of what exactly abstraction is, and does, under financialisation - seems to have gone largely unexplored - or has it? By putting the question of abstraction centre stage, How Abstract Is It? Thinking Capital Now offers an indispensable counterpoint to the 'economic turn' in the humanities, bringing together leading literary and cultural critics in order to propose that we may know far more about capital's myriad abstractions than we typically think we do. Through in-depth engagement with classic and cutting-edge theorists, agile analyses of recent Hollywood films, groundbreaking readings of David Foster Wallace's sprawling, unfinished novel, The Pale King, and even original poems, the contributors here suggest that the machinations and costs of finance - as well as alternatives to it - may already be hiding in plain sight. This book was originally published as a special issue of Textual Practice.

This collection brings together some of the most prominent critics of contemporary poetry and some of the most significant poets working in the English language today, to offer a critical assessment of the nature and function of poetic thought. Working at once with questions of form, literary theory and philosophy, this volume gives an extraordinarily diverse, original and mobile account of the kind of 'thinking' that poetry can do. The conviction that moves through the collection as a whole is that poetry is not an addition to thought, nor a vehicle to express a given idea, nor an ornamental language in which thinking might find itself couched. Rather, all the essays suggest that poetry itself thinks, in ways that other forms of expression cannot, thus making new intellectual, political and cultural formulations possible. This book was originally published as a special issue of Textual Practice.

Regarding the Popular charts the complex relationship between the avant-gardes and modernisms on the one hand and popular culture on the other. Covering (neo-)avant-gardists and modernists from various European countries, this second volume in the series European Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies explores the nature of so-called "low" culture, dealing with aspects as diverse as the everyday and the folkloric. Regarding the Popular charts the many ways in which the allegedly "high" modernists and avant-gardists looked at and represented the "low". As such, this book will appeal to all those with an interest in the dynamic of modern experimental arts and literatures.

The extent of John Ruskin's influence has long been acknowledged, though his impact on the development of Anglo-American modernism has received little systematic attention. In this volume, published to mark the centenary of Ruskin's death, a group of international scholars consider what is often an awkward and conflicted relation. Ruskin's voluminous writings are seen to shelter an incipient modernism whose antipathy to a degraded modernity, powerfully predicts a major current within the work of the new century.

Although John Ruskin's influence has long been acknowledged, his impact on the development of Anglo-American modernism has received little systematic attention. This is the first study on this relationship, with contributors examining Ruskin's connection to pre-modernist writers such as Worringer and Pater and the importance of Ruskin's thought to modernists such as Pound, Eliot, Lewis, and Lawrence and to intellectual history and architectural theory.

This brilliantly written, deeply moving play about the problems of a young couple with a spastic daughter-the "Joe Egg" of the title-was described by Ronald Bryden in The Observer (London) as a "remarkable play about a nightmare all women must have dreamed at some time, and most men: living with a child born so hopelessly crippled as to be, as the father in it says brutally, a human parsnip. For all that, it has to be described as a comedy, one of the funniest and most touching I've seen. The bridge between its form and content is a simple but brilliant stroke of theatre. Over the years, the author implies, explaining to others how one lives with such a situation becomes a kind of set party piece. This, savagely exaggerated, is what he has written-a recital, interspersed with jazz, imitations and tap-dances, about life with Joe Egg."

Since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, the notion that capitalism has become too abstract for all but the most rarefied specialists to understand has been widely presupposed. Yet even in academic circles, the question of abstraction itself - of what exactly abstraction is, and does, under financialisation - seems to have gone largely unexplored - or has it? By putting the question of abstraction centre stage, How Abstract Is It? Thinking Capital Now offers an indispensable counterpoint to the 'economic turn' in the humanities, bringing together leading literary and cultural critics in order to propose that we may know far more about capital's myriad abstractions than we typically think we do. Through in-depth engagement with classic and cutting-edge theorists, agile analyses of recent Hollywood films, groundbreaking readings of David Foster Wallace's sprawling, unfinished novel, The Pale King, and even original poems, the contributors here suggest that the machinations and costs of finance - as well as alternatives to it - may already be hiding in plain sight. This book was originally published as a special issue of Textual Practice.

'This remarkable play is about a nightmare all women must have dreamed at some time, and most men...' Ronald Bryden, Observer (1967) 'Joe Egg is unlike any play I've seen; concerns about whether it's dated fade next to the claims that can now be made for it. It's in the collisions between pious and rogue thoughts that the play's energy lies. We don't know what to feel. Which is why, once seen, Joe Egg won't go away.' Robert Butler, Independent on Sunday (1993)

With only a sextant, his instincts as a seasoned sailor, and a boat filled with memories of his floundering marriage, Peter Nichols sets out on a solo voyage from England to Maine, where he plans to sell his beloved, twenty-seven-foot, engineless boat, Toad.Halfway across the ocean, his boat springs a leak and his voyage becomes a desperate struggle to survive. Filled with intelligence, bravery and humor, Sea Change is a thrilling adventure story. It is a classic tale of a man struggling to come to terms with his reckless spirit, his highest hopes, and his broken dreams.

The first volume of the new series "European Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies" focuses on the relation between the avant-garde, modernism and Europe. It combines interdisciplinary and intermedial research on experimental aesthetics and poetics. The essays, written by experts from more than fifteen countries, seek to bring out the complexity of the European avant-garde and modernism by relating it to Europe's intricate history, multiculturalism and multilingualism. They aim to inquire into the divergent cultural views on Europe taking shape in avant-garde and modernist practices and to chart a composite image of the "other Europe(s)" that have emerged from the (contemporary) avant-garde and experimental modernism. How did the avant-garde and modernism in (and outside) Europe give shape to local, national and pan-European forms of identity and community? To what extent does the transnational exchange and cross-fertilisation of aesthetic tendencies illustrate the well-rehearsed claim that the avant-gardes form a typically European phenomenon? Dealing with canonised as well as lesser known exponents of modernism and the avant-garde throughout Europe, this book will appeal to all those interested in European cultural, literary and art history.

As a teenager, you have unique talents, passions and potential. But finding your way through life is tough. The emotional and physical changes you are experiencing in your transformation from childhood to adulthood are perhaps the most dramatic, chaotic and stressful you will ever face. You will be trying to work things out for yourself, sometimes talking with friends or asking parents and others who have been through it. Making it tougher still, the education system tends to focus on material and economic success and not enough on education of the mind, the emotions and personal growth. This book aims to help correct that imbalance, focusing on the emotional issues of: * Self-acceptance and acceptance of others * Self-esteem * A positive self-image * Self-belief * Emotional well-being * Independence and inter-dependence For parents, loving your teenage son or daughter is not enough. He or she needs to feel that you appreciate them as a blossoming human being, whose talents and uniqueness require constant nurturing, support and encouragement and whose dreams are sufficiently intriguing to be worth exploring.

The story of Jera, a young Yavan man striking out into a world of the unknown. Some see him as a friend, while others see him as an enemy. " One of the figures spoke, "You are the one we seek." it said. "What do you want?" Jera asked moving his hand to his sword hilt. "You to die " the other spat." There are many questions about Jera. Why was he not raised by his own people? Will the other Yavan except him? What makes him a threat? Does destiny have a place for him? With several companions the young Yavan sets out to find answers, but perhaps its something best left alone. Taking on the role of an Astrim (Elite Yavan Warior) Jera finds himself piecing together ancient knowlege in and attempt to learn about himself. " "That book is not for sale," said a voice. Jera turned and found a tall Yavan standing behind the counter. "Forgive me Astrim," The man said with a bow, "I thought you were one of the locals." "What is this book?" Jera asked. "Scraps written down from the time before and preserved." the man said. He paused, a look of fear coming to his face, "I know you Astrim move through these south lands and that you collect such things, that is why I brought them," the man said in near panic. "I would never sell them to anyone else." "Them?" asked Jera, ?you have more?" "Yes," the man said nervously, "Would my lord Astrim like to see them?" " Jera also finds love in a most unusual way, and as most young men, has no idea how it happened or what will happen next. Don't miss out on this first installment of an all new novelette series.

There are few, if any, books about nineteenth century piano tuners. Their lives might be expected to be unexciting and their experiences unremarkable. But the life of Robert Wrede, especially as told in his journal, was far from dull. In the three years he documents (October 1837 - January 1841), he travelled from England to Cape Town, Sydney, to the young Melbourne, and to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Adelaide, Surabaya, Singapore, three cities in India, and a number of small islands in between. He was almost lost at sea on several occasions, and suffered numerous horse riding or carriage accidents. He became an accomplished marksman, learned sufficient of the art of navigation to be able to take over from a drunken Captain, played in an historic cricket match, was involved in various romantic episodes, and jumped into the empty grave of one of the most notable figures in history. Meanwhile he tuned dozens of pianos and dined out on hundreds of occasions.

While the sublime has garnered a great deal of critical attention over the past twenty years, its counterpart, bathos, has yet to receive any extended treatment. Generally understood as an inadvertent descent to the low, vulgar, and ludicrous in writing or art, the term "bathos" was popularised by Pope, who used it to satirise his contemporaries. Ironically likening bathos to the depths of profundity, Pope lauded his peers for their influential writings whilst openly deriding their absurd misuses of figure and rhetorical device. Pope's method proved prophetic: today, artists regularly celebrate and incorporate bathetic practice.
This essay collection considers how bathos has become so central to literature, fine art, and music. The innovative and diverse contributions assess the consequences of this endemic inversion of aesthetic standards, and consider where artistic production might go after hitting, and so comfortably inhabiting, rock bottom.

This study develops an analysis of three aspects in siSwati, a southern African Bantu language spoken in Swaziland and South Africa: PERSISTIVE aspect, encoded by the aspect marker -sa-, ALTERATIVE aspect, encoded by -se- and INCEPTIVE aspect encoded by be-. A distinctive characteristic of two of the aspects is that they link two separate time periods and so they have been described as dual-time period aspects. One is the PERSISTIVE which is an aspect already well-documented and studied cross-linguistically in the Bantu languages and other groups and the other is analysed as the ALTERATIVE which is a new term the author has applied to an aspect not formerly recognised in linguistic studies. This thesis has wider significance for cross-linguistic recognition of dual-time period aspects, which have so far been largely associated with the PERFECT but is a more wide spread quality of natural language aspect systems.

"Peter Nichols has crafted a terrifyingly relevant historical narrative...A terrific read."
-Nathaniel Philbrick, author of "In The Heart of the Sea"
In 1871, America's last fleet of whaling ships was destroyed in an arctic ice storm. Miraculously, 1,218 men, women and children survived, but the disaster was catastrophic at home.
"Oil and Ice" is the story of one fateful whaling season that illuminates the unprecedented rise and devastating fall of America's first oil economy, and the fate of today's petroleum industry.

This is the story of the man without whom the name Charles Darwin might be unknown to us today. That man was Captain Robert FitzRoy, who invited the 22-year-old Darwin to be his companion on board the Beagle .

This is the remarkable story of how a misguided decision by Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, precipitated his employment of a young naturalist named Charles Darwin, and how the clash between FitzRoy's fundamentalist views and Darwin's discoveries led to FitzRoy's descent into the abyss.

One of the great ironies of history is that the famous journey--wherein Charles Darwin consolidated the earth-rattling 'origin of the species' discoveries--was conceived by another man: Robert FitzRoy. It was FitzRoy who chose Darwin for the journey--not because of Darwin's scientific expertise, but because he seemed a suitable companion to help FitzRoy fight back the mental illness that had plagued his family for generations. Darwin did not give FitzRoy solace; indeed, the clash between the two men's opposing views, together with the ramifications of Darwin's revelations, provided FitzRoy with the final unendurable torment that forced him to end his own life.

A rich selection from the best of Nichols' work up to and including his award-winning Privates on Parade

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is based on the author's experience of having a mentally handicapped child and won the John Whiting Award; The National Health was commissioned by Kenneth Tynan for the National theatre and follows the story of a Labour MP who goes into a state hospital suffering from a nervous collapse. It won the Evening Standard Best Play Award; Forget-me-not Lane is a trip down memory lane from the author's own childhood growing up in the West Country; Hearts and Flowers is a TV play about the rivalry between two brothers, one a school teacher living in Bristol the other a successful news journalist and their shared interest in a woman; Freeway is set in a traffic jam and attempts to answer the question of why the automobile has come to be seen to represent liberty incarnate in the modern era.

A rich selection from the best of Nichols' work up to and including his award-winning Privates on Parade

This volume continues the stage plays of Peter Nichols, newly revised and introduced by the author. Chez Nous is about English couples who bring their emotional baggage with them on a holiday to France; Privates on Parade is a hit play inspired by the author's experience in Singapore after the war working for the Combined Services Entertainments where he met among others John Schlesinger and Kenneth Williams at a time when 'mixed' entertainment relied on men dressing up as women; Born in the Gardens is inspired by the author's native city Bristol while Passion Play is a play about passion among the elderly - won Best Play (Evening Standard) in 1981. Poppy (the musical that opened the RSC's residence at the Barbican) is set in the Victorian Far East. It takes a pop at imperial hypocrisy and wickedness and won the Best Musical award.

Regard for George Oppen's poetry has been growing steadily over the last decade. Peter Nicholls's study offers a timely opportunity to engage with a body of work which can be both luminously simple and intriguingly opaque. Nicholls charts Oppen's commitment to Marxism and his later explorations of a 'poetics of being' inspired by Heidegger and Existentialism, providing detailed accounts of each of the poet's books. He is the first critic to draw extensively on the Oppen archive, with its thousands of pages of largely unpublished notes and drafts for poems; in doing so, he is able to map the distinctive contours of Oppen's poetic thinking and to investigate the complex origins of many of his poems. Oppen emerges from this study as a writer of mercurial intensities for whom every poem constitutes a 'beginning again', a freeing of the mind from thoughts known in advance. A strikingly innovative and challenging poetics results from Oppen's attempt to avoid what he regards as the errors of the modernist avant-garde and to create instead a designedly 'impoverished' aesthetic which keeps poetry close to the grain of experience and to the political and ethical dilemmas it constantly poses.