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Counterfeited in China: The Operations of Illicit Businesses
by Ko-Lin ChinCounterfeiting tops the list of organized crimes committed worldwide, raking in nearly half a trillion dollars in 2019. The impact of this illicit business is felt by consumers, brand owners, state authorities, and workers, and it impacts the economy. Moreover, its proliferation has fueled the advancement of organized crime groups. In his illuminating study, Counterfeited in China, Ko-lin Chin investigates this lucrative industry and its emergence in China. His face-to-face interviews with counterfeiters — business owners, workers, facilitators, and key informants — in the hub of Guangzhou, China reveal how businesses that design, produce, and distribute fake and unauthorized luxury goods manage the risks inherent in their business. Counterfeited in China examines the individual and group characteristics of counterfeiters and their relationships with organized crime; analyzes the economic aspects of counterfeiting; assesses the relationships among counterfeiting, violence, and corruption; and seeks to understand the demand for counterfeit goods. Chin also discusses the role of Chinese authorities and other parties in the war against counterfeiting. Assessing the state of the industry and its future, Chin provides fascinating new insights into the modus operandi of counterfeiters.
A Sports Odyssey: My Ithaca Journal (Sporting)
by Grant FarredGrant Farred has long had a passionate connection with sports. In A Sports Odyssey, he weaves together an account of his own sports fandom that is profoundly personal and universal. As readers of his Long Distance Love know, Grant Farred has been a supporter of the English Premier League club, Liverpool Football Club, for decades. His fandom for that team launched an unexpected connection with a world beyond the limits of the apartheid state of his upbringing in South Africa. However, A Sports Odyssey shows that as Farred’s fervor for Liverpool ended, he developed a new set of sports attachments in Ithaca, New York: to his son’s youth basketball career, to the men’s basketball team at Cornell University and its coach, and even to professional teams like the New York Knicks. Farred’s bemusement at finding himself a sports parent, a New Yorker, and a company man, only underline the sincerity of his affections. In A Sports Odyssey, Farred writes elegantly and eloquently about how sports and sports fandom create a sense of belonging, but also loss. This is a heartfelt examination of how we find “home” in who and what we love. In the series Sporting
Hispanic Pop Culture in Translation
by María Antonia Anderson de la TorreHispanic Pop Culture in Translation is a systematic course that combines both relevant theoretical background and practical guidance to enable advanced students of Spanish to confidently translate pop culture texts. Through analysis of the current state of dubbing, subtitling, and translation in the modern world, this innovative and engaging course makes students aware of the political, cultural, social, and historical implications of linguistic cross-cultural interactions in pop culture. Each chapter includes a variety of activities which prepare students for a final translation project. The practical tasks allow students to practice and refine their craft as translators and prepare for a career as a translator. Hispanic Pop Culture in Translation can be used as a core textbook for courses that focus on pop culture translation, or as a supplementary resource for general translation courses.
Labour Law and Decent Work in the Platform Economy
by Luz RodríguezThis book provides an innovative perspective on labour law within the platform economy. Exploring mechanisms for the protection of platform work, the book covers judicial decisions on the classification of platform work, collective bargaining, social protection and ownership of workers’ personal data.The global workforce is undergoing immense change, particularly in relation to technology. This book delves into the rising issue of platform workers’ personal data ownership and the equitable distribution of economic gains arising from its commercialization. Through comparing legislative frameworks and proposed laws from a diverse range of global jurisdictions, the book identifies optimal regulatory measures to safeguard the rights of platform workers. Furthermore, it analyzes in detail the European Directive pertaining to platform work and envisages the essential components of an ideal International Labour Organization (ILO) standard in this domain.The book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of worker’s rights, the platform economy and labour law.
Interactive Reading for Learners with Extensive Support Needs: A Practical Guide for Teachers
by Christopher BrumThis comprehensive guidebook shows teachers how to implement high-quality evidence-based interactive reading lessons for children with extensive support needs. It features step-by-step instructions for developing, implementing, and assessing shared reading lessons that are meaningful, engaging, and supportive of this population’s needs across cognitive, sensory, physical, and behavioral domains. Featuring templates to help readers organize critical information needed to plan and implement each lesson, as well as sample assessments to help identify learner interests, identify baseline skills, and monitor progress, the book is both practical and widely applicable across grade bands and curricula. Interactive Reading for Learners with Extensive Support Needs is key reading for teachers and literacy coaches who work with children with complex support needs, as well as faculty in personnel preparation programs in the areas of sensory disabilities, severe disabilities, and special education.
Research Design in Aging and Social Gerontology: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods (Textbooks in Aging)
by Joyce WeilThis comprehensive book provides a review across methodological approaches and data-collection methods commonly used with older adults in real-life settings. It addresses the role of normative age-related sensory, cognitive, and functional changes, as well as the influence of generational cohort (age-period-cohort).Fully updated, this second edition reflects recent changes in gerontology and includes more information about equity, diversity and inclusion; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the use of virtual research methods; discussion about the researcher’s reflexivity; the role of theory in research; qualitative research developments; an expansion of secondary analysis of data;and the use of artificial intelligence in research.Features include: Descriptions, evaluations, and applications of a wide range of methodological approaches and methods used to collect data about older persons (quantitative, qualitative, mixed, and emergent methods: photovoice, virtual environments, etc.) Ways to match research questions to selection of method without a preconceived methodological preference or dominance Real-world and applied examples along with cases from the gerontological literature "How to" sections about reading output/software reports and qualitative-analysis screenshots (from NVivo) and quantitative (SPSS) output and interpretation Pedagogical tools in every chapter such as text boxes, case studies, definitions of key terms, discussion questions, and references for further reading on chapter topics Glossary of key terms, complete sample research report, and an overview of past methodological research design work in gerontology This text is intended for upper-level undergraduates and masters students in aging and gerontology as well as students in human development, applied anthropology, psychology, public health, sociology, and social work settings. Healthcare professionals, social workers, and care managers who work with older adults will also find this text a valuable resource.At www.routledge.com/cw/weil instructors will find PowerPoint presentations, additional discussion questions, suggestions for in-class activities and assessments and a sample syllabus; and students will find flashcards based on glossary terms, a downloadable copy of the sample research report in the text, links to data sets, related websites, online videos and podcasts, further reading, select gerontological journals and multiple choice and true or false questions.
Handbook of Open Universities Around the World
by Santosh Panda Sanjaya MishraThe Handbook of Open Universities Around the World is the first collection to provide a comprehensive and critical overview of open universities internationally. Over 80 open universities have been established across five continents to provide a distance-orientated, class-inclusive, and high-quality education for learners left behind by existing formal systems for higher and continuing education and lifelong learning. This mission has been continually reshaped by major developments in open education, learning technologies, and online social networking, as well as by the evolution of specific concerns such as the massification of education, employability, financial trends, artificial intelligence, and development agendas on the regional, national, and global levels.This landmark volume analyzes and reflects on the planning, organization, management, pedagogic, skilling and employability, and accreditation dimensions of 47 open universities in relation to their national and institutional contexts, the internationalization of education, and the integration of advanced learning technologies. Featuring contributions by internationally recognized scholars, practitioners, and educational administrators, this authoritative resource provides insights into the business model—finances, operations, instructional systems, enrollment patterns, learner supports, quality assurance, professional development, and more—of today’s open universities. Through historical trajectories, institutional profiles, case studies, lessons learned, and best practices, this book provides rich analytical perspectives on the status and challenges of single-mode distance learning universities as an educational phenomenon while unpacking the premise of “openness” itself.This Handbook is primarily written for planners, managers, administrators, instructional designers, and teaching faculty at single-mode distance teaching universities who are seeking to sustain their institutions in a period of rapid change; government policymakers, training organizations, technology providers, and education think tanks who are in need of authentic and research-based information on technology-enabled learning modeled by open universities around the world; and graduate students, teaching faculty, and scholars who are affiliated with online and distance education, learning design and technology, higher education planning and management, adult education and lifelong learning, and education policy and future studies.
Interdisciplinary Pedagogy in Theory and Practice (Routledge Advances in Sociology)
by Catherine Duxbury Lukas Slothuus Dave AshbyThis book explores interdisciplinary university teaching in both theory and practice, drawing on the experience and expertise of educators from across the social sciences and humanities. Based around pedagogical theory and concrete practical examples and experiences from the classroom, the book contributes with a multiplicity of knowledge to the growing appetite for interdisciplinary initiatives at universities.The book is unique in offering depth and breadth of analysis of one of the most prominent experiments of interdisciplinary social science and humanities education in Britain, namely LSE100: The LSE Course, an interdisciplinary course taken by all undergraduates across disciplines at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The course has three streams, each addressing a major challenge of our time: The climate crisis, fairness, and artificial intelligence (AI).The book is of interest to academics, educators, and university leaders curious about developing and implementing interdisciplinary education in their own contexts, as well as to anyone interested in understanding the dynamics and challenges at stake in interdisciplinary educational settings. Finally, it appeals to students seeking to broaden their understanding of the social sciences beyond their own discipline.
Local Governance Transformation and Citizen Engagement in Bangladesh (Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series)
by Pranab Kumar Panday Abdullah- Al-MarufLocal Governance Transformation and Citizen Engagement in Bangladesh offers a thorough investigation of grassroots democratic practices and citizen engagement in local governance in the country and situates Bangladesh's experience within the larger framework of developing countries.With an eye towards their effects on governance, transparency, and accountability, the book analyses the dynamics of citizen engagement in public forums such as Ward Shava (WS) and Open Budget Meetings (OBM). Employing comparative studies of local government systems in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, the authors underscore the challenges and achievements of participatory governance in diverse socio-political settings. Combining empirical data with theoretical analysis, the book provides a valuable tool for comprehending the interaction of political culture, legal frameworks, and citizen engagement in forming sustainable local government in Bangladesh and beyond. This study provides doable suggestions for improving participative local governance by addressing structural challenges, power disparities, gender inequality, and the function of NGO. The book demonstrates how inclusive government promotes accountability and helps underprivileged groups to become more powerful, thereby promoting more fair results of progress.This book will be of interest to researchers studying political science, public administration, public policy, development studies, and Asian studies in general and governance, decentralisation, and citizen engagement in particular.
Morality Collapses: Against the Right and the Good (Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory)
by Stephen KershnarThis book argues that consequentialism and non-consequentialism are false because they face metaphysical and intuitional problems. The two theories exhaust the theories of the right, so there is no rightness.This result matters because it requires us to give up widely held beliefs regarding knowledge, moral responsibility, and reasons for action. The author’s argument is unique because it focuses on applied-ethical arguments rather than metaethical issues. Specifically, it avoids metaethical discussions of whether morality explains our thoughts and actions, how we know about morality, and whether the denial of morality is self-defeating. The author specifically argues against consequentialism and non-consequentialism in the following ways: Metaphysical Problems: Consequentialism and non-consequentialism are false because they need a theory of counterfactuals and backtracking that they cannot have Rights Problems: Non-consequentialism is false because non-consequentialism depends on rights, and people do not have rights. They do not have rights because of problems regarding moral responsibility, right-grounding, and self-ownership Circularity: Non-consequentialism is false because the basic building blocks of non-consequentialism—desert, rights, and virtue—are circular Morality Collapses will be of interest to researchers and graduate students working in normative ethics, metaethics, moral responsibility, and political philosophy.
Water, Environmental and Corporeal Traditions in Buddhism
by Anand SinghThis book examines ancient Buddhist traditions centered around water. It studies the sustainability and conservation practices of Buddhist monastics and examines how these early practices and ethos are applicable in the contemporary world. The author draws on literary and archaeological sources across cultures and religions to trace the different socio-economic and cultural traditions that utilise water, to formulate a pathway to save water in its purest form.A unique contribution, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of environmental studies, climate change, sustainable development, religious studies, and Buddhist history. It will also be useful to environmentalists and policymakers.
Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber (The Katya Livingston Chronicles)
by Adèle LangAfter weasel-eyed tax inspectors question her work-related claims, Katya Livingston is forced to keep a financial diary. As well as documenting the cruel and parsimonious ways of her ad agency boss, Katya waxes lyrical about putting up with loser friends, mortal enemies, and thoroughly bad restaurants. She also throws in a completely candid account of her love life, just in case some of it is tax deductible. What begins as a private account of expenses rapidly becomes, through Katya's chronic delusions of grandeur, a matter of public record: first as a tawdry gossip column, then as a salacious book, and finally as a Hollywood B-movie.Bitingly written with wit and style reminiscent of Candace Bushnell, Adèle Lang's Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber is a cutting, bitchy, hilarious take on the young-single-British-woman genre.
Battle for Ground Zero: Inside the Political Struggle to Rebuild the World Trade Center
by Elizabeth GreenspanElizabeth Greenspan's Battle for Ground Zero provides a revealing look at the heated politics behind the long struggle to rebuild the World Trade Center. In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans came together in a way not seen for a generation, pledging unity to rebuild after the horrific loss of the Twin Towers. People were signing up to go to war; rescue workers were laboring to clear rubble. But instead of becoming a rallying symbol in the fight against terrorism, Ground Zero has been plagued by intense conflict and controversy from the very start. Battle for Ground Zero goes behind the scenes of this fight to rebuild, revealing how grieving families, commercial interests, and politicking bureaucrats clashed at every step of the way, confounding progress and infuriating the public. Since the fall of 2001, author Elizabeth Greenspan has been documenting the drama-conducting interviews with neighborhood residents, architects, officials, rescue workers, and victims' relatives, as well as key New York players like uber-developer Larry Silverstein, and Governor Pataki. Here she provides a warts-and-all look at this pivotal decade-from the bitter feuding between city officials and victims' families, to the endless controversy over the memorial design, to the fraught tenth anniversary, against a still-unfinished building. Published as the memorial is finally completed, Battle for Ground Zero is an exhaustively researched reminder of how long it took to put a brave face on the horror of 9/11.
A New Kabbalah for Women
by Perle BessermanThe red bracelet: it graces the wrists of numerous celebrities - from Madonna to Britney Spears - who have converted to the spiritual practice of Kabbalah. But what is Kabbalah and how can women apply it to their own lives?In A New Kabbalah for Women, bestselling author and teacher of Jewish mysticism and meditation, Perle Besserman, shares a feminine approach to spirituality. Since the time of Moses, Jewish mysticism has been barred to women, and Shekhinah, the feminine side of God, has been forced underground. Now, many women are adapting traditional mystical practices in radical new ways. Besserman is at the forefront of this revolution. In this book she traces the history of female-centered worship and tells the story of searching for her own path to truth. Combining practices from the Kabbalah with meditation, Besserman walks readers through step-by-step rituals to find their own personal connection with the divine.
Tunnel Out of Death
by Jamil NasirIn Jamil Nasir's Tunnel Out of Death, Heath Ransom, former police psychic turned machine-enhanced "endovoyant" private investigator, is hired to find the consciousness of the rich and comatose Margaret Biel and return it to her body. Tracking her through the etheric world, he comes upon a strange and terrifying object that appears to be a tear in the very fabric of reality. He falls into it—and into an astonishing metaphysical shadow-play.For Margaret is a pawn in a war between secret, ruthless government agencies and a nonhuman entity known only as "Amphibian." Their battlefield is a multi-level reality unlike anything humankind has ever imagined. When Heath learns to move back and forth between two different versions of his life, and begins to realize that everyone around him may be a super-realistic android, that is only the beginning of a wholesale deconstruction of reality that threatens more than his sanity.... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Live at 10:00, Dead at 10:15 (Sonya Iverson Novels)
by Elsa KlenschElsa Klensch, former host of CNN's "Style with Elsa Klensch," has an insider's knowledge of the fashion industry's most flamboyant personalities coupled with an outsider's sharp-eyed objectivity. In Live at 10, Dead at 10:15, Klensch brilliantly evokes the worlds of fashion and design through the eyes of Sonya Iverson, ambitious Midwesterner striving to succeed in New York City. As a producer for the network newsmagazine "The Donna Fuller Show," Sonya is frustrated at always having to work on "fluff"-but she never expected her big break to come in the middle of the annual American Fashion Awards dinner.Sonya steps into the elegant powder room of New York City's 42nd Street Library to discover a just-out-of-rehab supermodel clutching what appears to be a bloody dagger and standing over the body of the glamorous wife of a fashion industry mogul. Sonya's first call is to the newsroom; the police come second.The dead woman, Harriett Franklin, was widely admired for her charitable work but nearly universally disliked, Sonya discovers as she interviews clothing designers, models, fashion magazine editors, and industry bigwigs. Harriett was scheming and manipulative, determined to have her way in everything from naming the new perfume being developed by the House of Franklin to keeping her Down Syndrome son in a treatment facility far from the spotlight. Suspects abound. Was the killer the supermodel, whose comeback Harriett was threatening to derail? The internationally-renowned designer recently fired at Harriett's bidding? The fashion magazine editor Harriett first bribed and then blackmailed? Or even Harriett's long-suffering husband, who may have finally had all he could take of his shrewish wife?Eager to break this career-making story, Sonya quickly learns many dark secrets about the seamy underside of the fashion industry. Sonya's next interview might be her last . . . .At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Rifkind's Challenge
by Lynn AbbeyRifkind, a warrior sorceress in a barbarian world, seeks her fate as the true-born Daughter of the Bright Moon in this standalone follow-up to The Black Flame.In a desert world ruled by men, Rifkind has always been one apart. A chieftain's daughter, she learned to wield a sword while all other women were bound by tribal custom to children and the cooking fire. But when her clan was massacred, she set forth on a quest for her destiny in savage lands ruled by magic and the sword.For a while she had thought that she had found a home. She practiced the healing arts and raised her son.But now she has once again heard a personal call to arms, a call to leave behind the safety of her home. She will once again take up the way of the sword, the way of sorcery. And this time she is not alone.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
A Peculiar Indifference: The Neglected Toll of Violence on Black America
by Elliott CurrieA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEARFrom Pulitzer Prize finalist Elliott Currie comes a devastating exploration of the extreme levels of violence afflicting Black communities, and a blueprint for addressing the crisis About 170,000 Black Americans have died in homicides just since the year 2000. Violence takes more years of life from Black men than cancer, stroke, and diabetes combined; a young Black man in the United States has a fifteen times greater chance of dying from violence than his white counterpart. Even Black women suffer violent death at a higher rate than white men, despite homicide’s usual gender patterns. Yet while the country has been rightly outraged by the recent spate of police killings of Black Americans, the shocking amount of “everyday” violence that plagues African American communities receives far less attention, and has nearly disappeared as a target of public policy. As acclaimed criminologist Elliott Currie makes clear, this pervasive violence is a direct result of the continuing social and economic marginalization of many Black communities in America. Those conditions help perpetuate a level of preventable trauma and needless suffering that has no counterpart anywhere in the developed world. Compelling and accessible, drawing on a rich array of both classic and contemporary research, A Peculiar Indifference describes the dimensions and consequences of this enduring emergency, explains its causes, and offers an urgent plea for long-overdue social action to end it.
Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan
by Robin MaxwellCambridge, England, 1905. Jane Porter is hardly a typical woman of her time. The only female student in Cambridge University's medical program, she is far more comfortable in a lab coat dissecting corpses than she is in a corset and gown sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of traveling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father to join an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Africa is every bit as exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined, but Jane quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity's past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its publication marks the centennial of the original Tarzan of the Apes.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
9800 Savage Road: A Novel of the National Security Agency
by M. E. HarriganDecember, 2000: In a tiny office in the basement of the National Security Agency, a handful of analysts work on a project so secret its existence is known to fewer than a hundred people. They are intercepting Osama bin Laden's every word as he talks on his satellite phone to al Qaeda cells. What he's planning is big—a strike against the U.S.—and they know from the intercepts they'll learn the details any day… any minute. Suddenly, the conversations stop.A Senior Executive is murdered inside the NSA complex, the first in a series of disasters inflicted from both inside and outside the carefully concealed house of spies. Alexandra O'Malley, consummate Intelligence Analyst, must sort through the clues and scramble to stop the escalating crises… but to succeed, she'll have to break all the rules. In 9800 Savage Road, reality and fiction intersect in a terrifying story of the events leading up to 9/11 from deep within the cloistered walls of NSA. M. E. Harrigan delivers the first insider's perspective in NSA's history. She shreds the thick veil of secrecy and explores the thoughts and actions, the dedication and bureaucratic infighting, and the occasional scandals of the hidden workforce. It's a story of betrayal and treachery, courage and loyalty… so real you'll wonder how much is true. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Starburst
by Robin PilcherIlluminating. Captivating. Stunning.When the fireworks cascade over Edinburgh castle on the Festival's final night, the magic begins… Every summer, the Edinburgh International Festival attracts celebrated artists, musicians, comedians, and actors to the beloved Scottish city. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on the town to join in the magnificent celebration. This year, the annual Edinburgh festival draws six unique and vibrant individuals, who all come together to follow their dreams---seeking success, love, fame, and happiness: Angélique, the beautiful and renowned violinist whose fame hides her secret heartache; Tess, a member of the festival marketing team and a newlywed struggling with her own secrets; Roger, whose dazzling fireworks display will be the grand finale of the festival and his career; Leonard, the aging cinematographer who wants one last time to shine; Rene, the feisty comedienne who is reaching for the stars; and Jamie, the handsome young flat owner who brings everyone together and finds love along the way. Each of them is trying to discover what destiny holds in store, and during this one magnificent summer, paths cross and lives are forever changed. Inspiring, funny, engrossing, and full of vivid descriptions of the incredible sights and sounds of Edinburgh, Starburst is a poignant and enchanting novel in the grand Pilcher tradition.
An Old-Fashioned Murder (Moonshine Mystery Series)
by Carol MillerSecrets, lies, and a splash of moonshine: a classic country house whodunit with a distinctly Southern twist.After losing her husband and her home, small-town girl Daisy McGovern moves in with her invalid mother at an old inn in sleepy southwestern Virginia. When the inn's eccentric proprietor, Aunt Emily, decides to throw a weekend party for a small group of friends and neighbors, everybody is excited--until a winter storm approaches and one of the guests is crushed by an antique bookcase during the night.At first, the death appears to be an accident. But as the storm worsens and the sheriff is unable to reach them, suspicion slowly grows. Was it murder? After the inn loses power and a second death occurs, it's clear to Daisy that one among them is a killer. But who? The young, new, secretive maid? The antique-peddling pair of spinster sisters? Her not-so-welcome in-laws? The peculiar house-hunting couple? The supposedly stranded motorist?With no way to leave and no way to get help, Daisy's only contacts to the outside world are her best friend Beulah and the always charming (and equally troublesome) moonshiner, Rick Balsam. Trapped with a clever and seemingly undetectable murderer, she must unravel the truth before the party ends with her funeral.
Old Girlfriends: Stories
by David UpdikeIn this brilliantly told short story collection, critically acclaimed author David Updike skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of love and of the heart. From a father's painful realization his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom; from the bumbling of a professor who unwittingly falls for one of his students to the wistful memories of a bittersweet affair tinged in regret, Updike portrays the intricacies of loving someone with candor. Full of sparkling wonder and poignant melancholy alike, Old Girlfriends is a clear-eyed vision of the world we live in. Drifting from the unrequited to the secretive, the familial to the first poetic moments, this soulful collection leaves no avenue of expression untouched.
The Red Hat: A Novel
by John BayleyIf Oscar Wilde were alive and well and writing in the 1990s, The Red Hat, by renowned critic John Bayley, is precisely the kind of playful, coyly erotic work of fiction he would have written. Set in Holland and in Provence, the first part of this elegant literary jaunt follows a trio of young Vermeer aficionados as they set forth for the Hague to see a Vermeer exhibition. What begins as a simple journey turns quickly into a cheerfully tortuous race against time when the group unwittingly--and mistakenly--becomes enmeshed in an international terrorist ring. The second part of the novel is narrated by Roland, a young man who has read the first narrator's account of the fiascos in the Hague. Setting off incognito, refusing to believe the account true, Roland searches for the original narrator, whom he expects to find living a lonely existence in a world of make-believe. As he conducts his search and the two parts begin to play off one another, The Red Hat slips between reality and fantasy, exploring the complex metaphysics of personality and art. Told by two separate narrators (the first of whom has an obscured gender), The Red Hat continues to twist and confound the reader who thinks he or she knows what will happen next. As our expectations are repeatedly built up and subsequently uprooted, an exquisitely delicious tension gathers strength, until it, too, is overturned by new developments. Constantly turning voraciously upon itself, this delightful romp refuses to be pinned down. Indeed, in the deft hands of a skilled novelist like John Bayley, nothing is what it seems to be: a book that masquerades as a noir mystery turns out to be a Moliere-like comedy of errors; a woman who is kidnapped turns out to be the wrong victim; the horny elevator man who runs the lift in the charming pension becomes a insatiable lover who may in fact be a Mossad agent; and the narrator--whose identity is revealed in the second half--becomes a slave, cheerful in bondage, refusing to return to England. Nothing ever turns out as it was supposed to be, but all is well, we are reassured, in this dashing fictional debut by one of the senior men of letters.
100 Christmas Wishes: Vintage Holiday Cards from The New York Public Library
by The New York Public LibraryA treasure trove of vintage Christmas cards, 100 Christmas Wishes is the perfect holiday treat from the New York Public Library.Every year as the days grow shorter, amidst the holly, cookies, and carols there is another timeless holiday tradition—sending and receiving Christmas cards to and from those you love. 100 Christmas Wishes is a collection of vintage holiday cards, all from the archives of the New York Public Library. The Library houses one of the greatest collections of early Christmas postcards from around the world with thousands of cards depicting every imaginable holiday scene. Archivists selected one hundred of the best cards from the extensive collection to share in 100 Christmas Wishes. From the elegant, gilded Santa Clauses and statuesque angels, to yuletide still lifes, tumbling tots and puppies with bows round their necks, each card is a beautiful celebration of the holiday season. The book also includes six perforated postcards with reproductions of the designs so you too can share a vintage Christmas wish with friends and family on your list.As Rosanne Cash, a patron and friend of the Library as well as a devoted fan of Christmas cards, says in her introduction “This collection of early Christmas postcards, housed for a century in the New York Public Library archives, distills those abiding wishes for the holidays from revelers from long ago and faraway, in a wish for peace, joy, magic, bounty, family, and for light to be shone ‘round the world at Christmas, past and future.’”