Based on the 26 volume book series by Terry Brooks and Executive Produced by Jon Favreau, The Shannara Chronicles is the epic series set in a world thousands of years after the destruction of our civilization.

A year after the events of season one, The Four Lands is in chaos. The re-emergence of magic has the populace terrified, and an organization called The Crimson is hunting down magic users, using fear and intimidation to sow discord among the races.

Wil, scarred by the loss of Amberle and his separation from Eretria, has turned his back on his magical destiny to become a healer. But when a mysterious woman named Mareth saves Wil from a Crimson attack, he is forced to rejoin the fight. After reuniting with Eretria, Wil and Mareth seek out Allanon, only to learn that the Druid’s former protégé, Bandon, is on a mission to resurrect a creature of darkest evil: The Warlock Lord.

Together, our heroes must band together to take down The Crimson and prevent Bandon from unleashing an even greater threat upon the Four Lands, before it’s too late.

The definitive story of how Marvel Studios created the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as told by the studio's creatives, and the cast and crew of The Infinity Saga.

The Story of Marvel Studios is the first-ever, fully authorized, all-access history of Marvel Studios’ creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as told by the producers, writers, directors, concept artists, VFX artists, cast, and crew who brought it to life. Year-by-year, project-by-project, the studio’s founding and meteoric growth are described through detailed personal stories, anecdotes, and remembrances of noteworthy challenges, breakthrough milestones, and history-making successes. Together, these stories reveal how each of the films evolved into one ongoing cinematic narrative, as coauthors Tara Bennett and Paul Terry (The Official Making of Big Trouble in Little China, 2017) chart the complete production history of The Infinity Saga’s 23 movies (from 2008’s Iron Man all the way up to, and including, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home).

Bennett and Terry were granted unprecedented access to Marvel Studios, which led to this years-in-the-making tome containing personal stories from more than 200 interviews, including every Marvel Studios producer; MCU writers and directors; the stars of The Infinity Saga; concept artists, costume designers, composers, and the talents behind the MCU’s dazzling visual effects; and more. Featuring previously unpublished behind-the-scenes photography and archival production material, as well as personal photos and memorabilia from cast and crew, The Story of Marvel Studios is the essential, collectible chronicle of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe was brought to life.

Includes:

• 512 pages chart the entire history-making story of Marvel Studios—from its inception, through Phases One, Two, and Three, and to the dawn of Phase Four
• Featuring more than 200 interviews with the studio’s staff, cast, and crew for all 23 movies in The Infinity Saga
• Includes more than 500 production photos, plus never-before-seen filmmakers’ archival materials and personal memorabilia from the cast and crew
• Deluxe two-volume, foil-stamped cloth hardcover set, featuring exclusive cover art by Ryan Meinerding (Marvel Studios Head of Visual Development)
• Metallized reinforced slipcase with exclusive wrap-around MCU concept art montage, featuring art by Adi Granov, Ryan Meinerding, Andy Park, and Charlie Wen
• Foreword by Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel)
• Afterword by Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man)

The value chain is a major focus in today's business world, and many organisations and managers allocate considerable resources to understanding and analysing their value chain. The main reason for doing this is either to eliminate activities that do not add value, or to improve on activities that do not add sufficient value.

In order to ensure optimum customer satisfaction, businesses must integrate the activities of various departments and functions. This demands a sound understanding of the chain of activities and their interrelationship with other business activities. The authors adopt the value chain as a framework in order to help business students to visualise how the value chain works. New ground is broken in that management is not dealt with only from a functional perspective. While the goal is to introduce undergraduate students to the concept of the value chain, it is not, however, to offer a comprehensive directory on the related literature.

This special and abridged version of Business Management has been requested by academics in order to accommodate the needs of accounting students. As accounting students at a number of higher institutions only do a seven-week module in business management, we have selected the chapters which cover the basics of business management as well as the primary functions of the value chain.

The value chain is a major focus in today's business world, and many companies and managers allocate considerable resources to understanding and analysing their value chain. The main reason for doing this is either to eliminate activities that do not add value, or to improve on activities that do not add sufficient value. In order to ensure optimum customer satisfaction, businesses must integrate the activities of various departments and functions. This demands a sound understanding of the chain of activities and their interrelationship with other business activities.

The authors of Business management adopt the value chain as a framework in order to help business students to visualise how the value chain works. New ground is broken in that management is not dealt with merely from a functional perspective. While the goal is to introduce undergraduate learners to the concept of the value chain, it is not, however, to offer a comprehensive directory on the related literature. The book is divided into three parts.

Part A introduces the reader to business management, the value chain, the business environment, the entrepreneurial process, and the considerations that need to be taken into account when establishing a business. Part B examines the activities of the value chain, starting with general management and leadership, followed by the primary and support activities that constitute the value chain. In Part C, contemporary management issues are reviewed, including diversity management, business ethics, globalisation, creativity and innovation, environmental issues, corporate governance and black economic empowerment.

Business management - a value chain approach covers basic points of theory, but it also has a strong practical approach, and includes self-evaluation exercises, challenging experiential exercises, information about relevant websites, interesting discussion questions and case studies, as well as useful lists of key terms.

This revised second edition has been updated in respect of new legislation such as the Companies Act, the Co-operatives Act, the Consumer Protection Act and the National Credit Act. Statistics have also been aligned with Census 2011.

The galaxy's most terrifying creatures are coming for Earth!

Years after the first two Aliens films, a Xenomorph attack in space leads the Colonial Marines to take action. Soon, the badly scarred Hicks and the now-grown Newt find themselves swept up in a dangerous mission to locate and destroy the creatures' homeworld! But when Earth itself is overrun by a Xenomorph outbreak, Hicks and Newt must join a renegade group fighting to reclaim the planet.

Can an obsessed military man train Aliens to wipe out their own kind? And can an old friend help Hicks and Newt turn the tide - by capturing an Alien Queen Mother? Plus: An outer-space treasure hunt becomes a battle for survival when Aliens attack!

In this new take on a classic story, the desperate townspeople of Rose Creek employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns after the town falls under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue.

As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

Earth's Oldest Rocks, Second Edition, is the only single reference source for geological research of early Earth. This new edition is an up-to-date collection of scientific articles on all aspects of the early history of the Earth, from planetary accretion at 4.567 billion years ago (Ga), to the onset of modern-style plate tectonics at 3.2 Ga. Since the first edition was published, significant new advances have been made in our understanding of events and processes on early Earth that correspond with new advances in technology. The book includes contributions from over 100 authors, all of whom are experts in their respective fields. The research in this reference concentrates on what is directly gleaned from the existing rock record to understand how our planet formed and evolved during the planetary accretion phase, formation of the first crust, the changing dynamics of the mantle and style of tectonics, life's foothold and early development, and mineral deposits. It is an ideal resource for academics, students and the general public alike.

This book considers how homes, households, and domestic life are related to the Church. Early theologies glorified the monastic lifestyle as a way to transcend earthly attachments in favor of supernatural goods. Later thinkers have seen that functioning marriages and families themselves can lead us toward a more righteous society. Issues of gender quickly come into play. Are households the "woman's sphere"? Does this bar women from full participation in the Church? And what of the many people today who are neither married nor consecrated in a holy life? How do we think about the Christian "households" of such singles? Jana Bennett addresses these questions. She insists that both marriage and singleness must be placed in the context of the Christian story of redemption if the questions and problems at stake are to be fully understood. Surprisingly, she finds that Augustine of Hippo, much maligned by modern theologians, is the source of very fruitful reflection on these topics, showing us that both marriage and singleness are most properly set in the context of the salvation story. Most scholars today would agree that Augustine's works have exerted great influence on Western views of marriage, family, and sex. But they would also argue that this influence has been detrimental to a healthy understanding of these topics. However, through the lens of Augustine's work, Bennett shows that marriage and singleness cannot be considered separately, that gender issues are important to considering these states correctly and, most important, that the marriage between Christ and the Church is the first mediator in these states of life.

A straight-to-video parallel storyline to the Disney smash hit 'Beauty and the Beast'. Returning to the time when Belle was imprisoned in the Beast's castle, the film tells of the young woman's attempts to bring some Christmas cheer to her surroundings, even though the Beast doesn't like the festive season. To this end, Belle invites all the enchanted objects from the castle to help, encouraging them to sing and dance so that the spirit of Yuletide might thaw the Beast's heart.

Master the skills necessary for fluent and intelligent reading at Infant level, with systematic development of language, and contribute to the foundation of good spelling. - Interpret words more easily with helpful illustrations. - Practice skills learned with graded exercises in the accompanying Practice Book. - Support exercises with teaching notes at the beginning of the Practice book and instructions at the bottom of each page. Infant Reader Book Two - Widen the pupil's interest in areas beyond the home and school. - Engage students with fuller exercises provided at regular stages of the book.

The second of three epic instalments in director Peter Jackson's blockbuster prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Set in Middle-Earth 60 years before events in 'The Lord of the Rings', the story follows the adventures of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who, at the instigation of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), suddenly finds himself co-opted into joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to help reclaim the lost kingdom of the Lonely Mountain from the clutches of Smaug the dragon (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch). In this film, while Gandalf heads south on his own, Bilbo, Thorin and the Dwarves enter the treacherous Mirkwood Forest on their way to the mountain. When they reach Lake-town Bilbo will have to perform the role he was assigned at the start of the quest - to find a secret door that will lead him to the lair of the dragon...

Johannes Roberts writes and directs this high school-set British horror-thriller. When a group of teachers become trapped in school after hours by a mysterious group of murderous, hooded teenagers, alcoholic teacher Robert Anderson (David Schofield) must do all he can to save his daughter, Kate (Eliza Bennett), from the gang's clutches.

Disney animated adventure featuring the voice talents of Lucy Liu and Michael Sheen. When Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman) risks life and limb to reach out to a human girl in need of a friend, the fairies of Pixie Hollow make a daring flight to London to save Tinker Bell and all of fairykind.

Music- and style-centred youth cultures are now a familiar aspect of everyday life in countries as far apart around the globe as Nepal and Jamaica, Hong Kong and Israel, Denmark and Australia. This lucid and original text provides a lively and wide-ranging account of the relationship between popular music and youth culture within the context of debates about the spatial dimensions of identity. It begins with a clear and comprehensive survey, and critical evaluation, of the existing body of literature on youth culture and popular music developed by sociologists and cultural and media theorists. It then develops a fresh perspective on the ways in which popular music is appropriated as a cultural resource by young people, using as a springboard a series of original ethnographic studies of dance music, rap, bhangra and rock. Bennett's original research material is carefully contextualised within a wider international literature on youth styles, local spaces and popular music but it serves to illustrate graphically how styles of music and their attendant stylistic innovations are appropriated and `lived out' by young people in particular social spaces. Music, Bennett argues, is produced and consumed by young people in ways that both inform their sense of self and also serve to construct the social world in which their identities operate. With its comprehensive coverage of youth and music studies and its important new insights, Popular Music and Youth Culture is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in sociology, cultural studies, media studies and popular music studies. Dr ANDY BENNETT is lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He has published articles on aspects of youth culture, popular music, local identity and music and ethnicity in a number of journals, including Sociological Review, Media Culture and Society and Popular Music. He is currently co-editing a book on guitar cultures.

Life. Death. What it means to be human. Be amazed and inspired by answers to some of the biggest questions you could ever ask...Do we live forever? What?s it like on the "other side"? Can we communicate with the deceased? Do "Gods" really exist? Who are the Ascended Masters? Have guides changed the course of history? Could a guardian angel save your life? Richard Lawrence explains, with captivating frankness and authority, what communicating with the departed is really like ? and how the message of those beyond this plane of existence is relevant to every single one of us. Unlike many psychics, Richard wasn?t born with a "gift" ? he began to develop his abilities through practising the techniques of his own spiritual teacher, Dr George King, over 25 years ago. Described by Spirit & Destiny as "a world-renowned teacher of psychic development and meditation...with a balanced and responsible spiritual approach, combined with enthusiasm and a sense of humour", he is well known as a popular broadcaster, writer, speaker and workshop presenter. His remarkable accounts of a kaleidoscopic array of personal psychic experiences, from channelling poetry to performing exorcisms, are sure to fascinate any seeker who wants to know more about the little-understood adventures which await us all in our journey through spiritual evolution.

The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe provides a comprehensive overview of the gender rules encountered in Europe in the period between approximately 500 and 1500 C.E. The essays collected in this volume speak to interpretative challenges common to all fields of women's and gender history - that is, how best to uncover the experiences of ordinary people from archives formed mainly by and about elite males, and how to combine social histories of lived experiences with cultural histories of gendered discourses and identities. The collection focuses on Western Europe in the Middle Ages but offers some consideration of medieval Islam and Byzantium, opening these fields for further research. The Handbook is structured into seven sections: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thought; law in theory and practice; domestic life and material culture; labour, land, and economy; bodies and sexualities; gender and holiness; and the interplay of continuity and change throughout the medieval period. This Handbook contains material from some of the foremost scholars in this field, and will not only serve as the major reference text in the area of medieval and gender studies, but will also provide the agenda for future new research.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. George Orwell's modern fable on the way power corrupts is as apt as ever in the twenty-first century. Educational edition of this much-loved classic from Longman.