Originally published: 1978, in series: Lectures on the history of religions; new ser., no. 11. With new introd.
Discovering Nutrition, Third Edition is a student-friendly introduction to nutrition on a non-majors level. Coverage of material such as digestion, metabolism, chemistry, and life cycle nutrition is clearly written, accessible, and engaging to undergraduate students.
· 2008
In this brilliant, engrossing work, Jack Turner explores an era—from ancient times through the Renaissance—when what we now consider common condiments were valued in gold and blood. Spices made sour medieval wines palatable, camouflaged the smell of corpses, and served as wedding night aphrodisiacs. Indispensible for cooking, medicine, worship, and the arts of love, they were thought to have magical properties and were so valuable that they were often kept under lock and key. For some, spices represented Paradise, for others, the road to perdition, but they were potent symbols of wealth and power, and the wish to possess them drove explorers to circumnavigate the globe—and even to savagery. Following spices across continents and through literature and mythology, Spice is a beguiling narrative about the surprisingly vast influence spices have had on human desire. Includes eight pages of color photographs. One of the Best Books of the Year: Discover Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle
· 2011
In The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure, Victor Turner examines rituals of the Ndembu in Zambia and develops his now-famous concept of "Communitas." He characterizes it as an absolute inter-human relation beyond any form of structure. The Ritual Process has acquired the status of a small classic since these lectures were first published in 1969. Turner demonstrates how the analysis of ritual behavior and symbolism may be used as a key to understanding social structure and processes. He extends Van Gennep's notion of the "liminal phase" of rites of passage to a more general level, and applies it to gain understanding of a wide range of social phenomena. Once thought to be the "vestigial" organs of social conservatism, rituals are now seen as arenas in which social change may emerge and be absorbed into social practice. As Roger Abrahams writes in his foreword to the revised edition: "Turner argued from specific field data. His special eloquence resided in his ability to lay open a sub-Saharan African system of belief and practice in terms that took the reader beyond the exotic features of the group among whom he carried out his fieldwork, translating his experience into the terms of contemporary Western perceptions. Reflecting Turner's range of intellectual interests, the book emerged as exceptional and eccentric in many ways: yet it achieved its place within the intellectual world because it so successfully synthesized continental theory with the practices of ethnographic reports."
J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) is considered Britain's greatest painter. While he is best known for his stunning oils, Turner also created major works in watercolor, many of which rival his oils in their breadth of scale, depth of tone, richness of color, and wealth of detail. This handsome volume, published on the 150th anniversary of Turner's death to accompany an unparalleled exhibition of his finished watercolors at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, is a milestone in Turner scholarship.Eric Shanes, a well-known expert on Turner and curator of the related exhibition, places the artist's watercolors in the wider context of his painted work and provides individual commentaries on the approximately 200 lush colorplates. Evelyn Joll investigates the market forces that brought Turner's watercolors into being, while Andrew Wilton analyzes their extraordinary effect on the art of later watercolorists. Finally, Ian Warrell discusses the critical reception to the work of this prodigiously talented artist. Turner: The Great Watercolours will stand at the forefront of thinking on Turner for years to come.
· 2010
The Barn Swallow is a familiar and popular bird throughout the world. It is one of the most widely distributed bird species, breeding in North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa and wintering in South America, southern Africa, southern Asia and even northern Australia. Its habit of nesting close to human habitation has made this elegant bird a part of farmyard and village life and a welcome herald of spring. This book examines all aspects of the life of this endearing bird, with chapters on its flying skills and feeding habits, mate choice, breeding strategies, nest sites, eggs and incubation, nestling rearing, productivity and survival, migratory behaviour and population dynamics. It also considers changes in populations and behaviour in relation to intensive agriculture and climate change. The Barn Swallow is both engaging and authoritative; birdwatchers will enjoy amazing insights into the life of the species, such as the importance of tail feathers when finding a mate, or the sinister way that some birds kill of the chicks of rivals. Academic scholars will appreciate the book's broad overview of current research on this species.
· 1990
Short stories about exiles who share an intimate knowledge of dislocation, whether in culture, geography, or self-understanding.