This history of reading goes from the earliest examples of the clay tablets and cuneiform of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to today's digital revolution. It argues that it is the demands of the reader, acting alongside the will of the writer, that is the evolutionary motor of literary genres.

An interantional history of wallpaper, from its origins to today's digital and laser printing. Includes a guide to care and conservation.

Hermits, sportsmen, quacks, mariners, the indefatigable British travellers, men of learning, men of living - here is a glorious gallery of the extremes of human nature portrayed with wit, sympathy, knowledge and love.

Ancient Olympia is a sacred place. Olympia,the most brilliant, the most revered panhellenic Sanctuary, dedicated to Zeus, father of gods and mankind, is near the western coast of the Peloponnese, in the magic valley of the river Alpheios. This work is suitable for those exploring this ancient place.

Remembering the past in the Middle Ages is a subject that is often perceived as a study of chronicles and annals written by monks. This book challenges this view and emphasizes the collaboration between men and women in the memorial tradition through both narrative sources and material culture.

Throughout history, the weather has been responsible for the deaths of more people than the spear, bullet or atomic bomb. This title examines climatic devastation and the uncertainty that the weather brings.

This volume presents the history of Pompeii. It explores Pompeii's public buildings, its streets and gathering places, the impact of religious changes, the renovation of theatres and expansion of athletic facilities and the influence of elite families on the city's appearance.

Presents a readable translation of a poem that is crucial to the history of ancient thought. This title offers an elaboration of Greek Epicurean physics and psychology. It argues that the soul is mortal, that pleasure is the object of life, and that humanity has free will, among other ideas.

In 1863, the French painter, Ernest Meissonier was one of the most famous artists in the world. Manet, on the other hand, was struggling in obscurity. Taking the parallel careers of Meissonier and Manet, this book uses them as a lens for their times. It shows that their paintings was not just about Art, it was about how to see the world.

An artificial dye, mauve, was discovered by a 19th-century chemist called William Perkin while searching for a synthetic alternative to natural quinine. This book examines how the different worlds of fashion, industry, business, chemistry and medicine were transformed by a single colour.

Offers information about how the knitted stitch, fabric, and garment evolved throughout history. This title also teaches how knitting has been influenced over the years by politics, economics, and gender roles.

A study of the life of the nobility at the royal court of France, especially under Louis XIV.

Surveys children and their place in family life from the Middle Ages to the end of the eighteenth century. This book explores the gradual change from the medieval attitude to children, looked upon as small adults as soon as they were past infancy, to the seventeenth and eighteenth century awareness of the child as the focal point of family life.

A journey of the imagination, in which Claudio Magris uncovers the whole of human striving in a microcosm. Delving into his Triestine homeland Magris discovers the city's domestic interiors, its cafes, bars, marketplaces and stations, to be the forums in which humanity transacts its business.

Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995) is a key figure in poststructuralism, and one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. The author proposes a radical way of understanding philosophy and art. He develops the concept further to present a way of practising philosophy based upon the fold as the relationship of difference with itself.

'Speak: A Short History of Languages' is a history of human speech from prehistory to the present. It charts the rise of some languages and the fall of others, explaining why some survive and others die. It shows how languages change their meaning, shape, and sounds, and how the history of languages is intimately linked to the history of peoples.

Public opinion in the form of new cultural institutions such as the newspaper, the novel, and the coffee house threw down the gauntlet to established 18th century regimes. This title explores the interaction of politics and culture during these final years of Old Regime Europe and shows why some regimes adapted and flourished while others died.