|
Showing 1 - 12 of
12 matches in All Departments
A global exploration of the many writing systems that are on the
verge of vanishing, and the stories and cultures they carry with
them. If something is important, we write it down. Yet 85% of the
world's writing systems are on the verge of vanishing - not granted
official status, not taught in schools, discouraged and dismissed.
When a culture is forced to abandon its traditional script,
everything it has written for hundreds of years - sacred texts,
poems, personal correspondence, legal documents, the collective
experience, wisdom and identity of a people - is lost. This Atlas
is about those writing systems, and the people who are trying to
save them. From the ancient holy alphabets of the Middle East, now
used only by tiny sects, to newly created African alphabets
designed to keep cultural traditions alive in the twenty-first
century: from a Sudanese script based on the ownership marks
traditionally branded into camels, to a secret system used in one
corner of China exclusively by women to record the songs and
stories of their inner selves: this unique book profiles dozens of
scripts and the cultures they encapsulate, offering glimpses of
worlds unknown to us - and ways of saving them from vanishing
entirely.
The minstrel show occupies a complex and controversial space in the
history of American popular culture. While it is seen as a relic of
America's deeply shameful and racist past, it also provided the
first vehicle by which African-Americans were able to enter the
entertainment world. This book investigates the often ignored 20th
century history of minstrelsy as it entered the age of mass media,
addressing such minstrel stars as Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, and
Mickey Rooney. Tracing the history of minstrelsy through to its
abrupt end in the 1950s, this book is a chronicle of "modern"
minstrelsy and America's rapidly changing values.
This book examines the important issue of British propaganda to
France during the Second World War and aims to show the value of
the propaganda campaign to the British war effort. British
Propaganda to France is a unique contribution to the field, not
only in its examination of one of the least well-studied areas of
British activity during the Second World War but also in the
breadth of its approach. It surveys the organisation, operation and
nature of the British propaganda effort towards the French people,
including both white propaganda (BBC broadcasts and leaflets
dropped by the RAF) and black propaganda (secret broadcasting
stations, documents purporting to come from the Germans in France
or distributed in France using clandestine methods, and rumours).
Finally it examines the contemporary British understanding of the
French and German reception of and reaction to this propaganda
material, to show whether the campaign was an effective and
well-directed use of resources. Almost all examinations of British
foreign propaganda during the Second World War have focused on
propaganda directed towards Germany. British propaganda to France,
which in terms of quantity of output was actually the most
important area of British propaganda, has never been examined in
depth until now. This book adds a further chapter to our knowledge
of propaganda in the Second World War, especially in the conduct of
psychological warfare. It also touches on better-known areas such
as RAF Bomber Command and its Operational Training Units, which
handled aerial dissemination of British white propaganda leaflets
over France, and the Special Operations Executive in France, which
worked closely with the Political Warfare Executive in delivering
much black propaganda.
How did a small, humble folk instrument become an American icon?
How did the guitar come to represent freedom, the open road,
protest and rebellion, the blues, youth, lost love, and sexuality?
In this intensely personal memoir and informative history, National
Public Radio commentator and essayist Tim Brookes recounts his
quest to build the perfect guitar. Pairing up with a master artisan
from the Green Mountains of Vermont, Brookes sees how a rare piece
of cherry wood is hued, dovetailed, and worked on with saws, rasps,
and files. As his prized instrument takes shape, Brookes also
narrates the long and winding history of the guitar in the United
States. Arriving with conquistadors and the colonists, the guitar
has found itself in an extraordinary variety of hands: miners and
society ladies, lumberjacks and presidents' wives. In time, the
guitar became America's vehicle of self-expression, its modern
soundtrack. "Guitar" is a rare glimpse of one man's search for
music. It is sure to resonate with musicians and non-musicians
alike.
Know your Mornington Crescent from your Cheddar Gorge? Are you
partial to a bad-tempered clavier? Would you like some unhelpful
travel advice? Featuring the very best moments from a forty-year
history of broadcasting, Stephen Fry introduces this indispensable
companion to I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, the Radio 4 comedy series
which attracts millions of listeners each week. Featuring hilarious
excerpts from the show's favourite games including: The Uxbridge
English Dictionary, Famous First Words, the Trail of the Lonesome
Pun and Late Arrivals as well as much much more, this book is
essential for Clue fans young and old. For those new to Clue,
there's a Beginner's Guide on how to play Mornington Crescent and
numerous games which are fun and easy to play at home and
guaranteed to entertain.
A Corner of Every Foreign Field is an innovative and
thought-provoking take on the history of cricket, looking beyond
the scorecards to the pivotal issues of class, politics and
imperialism that have shaped the game today. It charts how cricket
has vied with football for power, commercial muscle and global
reach, growing from a simple boys' game in England to a modern
worldwide sport. In exploring cricket's evolution, Tim Brooks calls
on the views and anecdotes of greats like W. G. Grace, Don Bradman,
Viv Richards and Virat Kohli. Along the way, he peers deep into the
game's soul and poses questions on behalf of every cricket fan. Is
cricket truly global? Why did the game take root in some countries
but not in others? What are the threats and opportunities for the
sport? Who are the next cricket superpowers? How do you strike a
balance between honouring tradition and reforming to capture the
imagination of future generations? Written by an expert in the
global development of cricket, the book sets out a unique vision
for the future.
College Radio Days offers an overview of the history of college
radio followed by an in-depth study of one institution, Dartmouth
College. Dartmouth's stations reflect practically the entire
history of college radio in the U.S., from the experimental
stations of the 1920s to the wired, campus-limited stations of the
1940s and 1950s, the full power broadcast stations of the 1960s,
and Internet radio today. Their evolution has been navigated by
successive waves of students who were just learning how to lead, to
communicate, and deal with the challenges of learning to run a
business with an exceptionally prominent voice in the region. At
Dartmouth challenges included fierce opposition from local
commercial broadcasters, faculty who wanted to "take over," war
protesters in the '60s, staff revolts, demands from women and
minorities, and pressure from right and left wing groups determined
to use the station's wide voice to pursue their own agendas. It is
also a portrait of changes in campus life over more than 70 years.
The book includes a description of the station's extensive news
operation, which interviewed numerous national figures, and a
listing of more than 700 student leaders over the years with their
subsequent professions.
Do words fail you? Never again, once you've become the proud owner
of The Complete Uxbridge English Dictionary. Every word has a
meaning, but over the years those meanings change. Dip into these
helpfully illustrated pages and you'll find many of the words you
use every day without ever realising that their up-to-date
definition is something entirely different. Words like 'bunny'
(rather like a bun), or 'cherish' (rather like a chair),
'Cardiology' (the study of knitwear) or 'buggery' (the study of
insects), 'Venezuala' (a gondola with a harpoon) or 'Norway' (a
Geordie exclamation of surprise), 'ivy' (the Roman for "four") or
'faculty' (cockney for "there's no more PG Tips"). Thanks to The
Complete Uxbridge English Dictionary you can now use familiar,
everyday words in total confidence, fully appraised of their latest
meanings. Happy wording!
Four more extended episodes from the award-winning BBC Radio 4
series, specially compiled by producer Jon Naismith 'ISIHAC is
still unmissable. It remains the most thrillingly anarchic panel
show in any media you care to name' Simon Mayo, Mail on Sunday 'The
funniest comedy quiz show of them all' Sue Arnold, The Observer The
antidote to panel games returns with this sixteenth glorious
collection, in which Jack Dee gives regular panelists Tim
Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden silly things to do.
Joining them in this compilation are special guests Rob Brydon,
Victoria Wood, Susan Calman and David Mitchell. Highlights include
Uxbridge English Dictionary, One Song to the Tune of Another,
French Monopoly, Swanee Kazoo, Sound Charades, Pensioner's Film
Club, Complete Cats, 84 Chicken Cross Road, Hirsute Film Club,
Unromantic Endings, Just a Minim, the delightful Add a Word, Ruin a
Film and, of course, Mornington Crescent. Get ready to chuckle
along with the gang as they deploy the finest wit and wordplay,
accompanied by Colin Sell on the piano and the lovely Samantha
keeping score. Duration: 2 hours 20 mins approx.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|