Very short introductions

Bernard O'Donoghue examines the many different forms of writing which have been called 'poetry', beginning with the Greeks. As well as questioning what poetry is, he asks what poetry is for, and considers contemporary debates on its value.

Looks at physics and the history of its study.

An overview of the periodic table of the elements, with a look at the deeper implications of the arrangements of the table to atomic physics and quantum mechanics.

"This [book] takes an expansive and inclusive approach meant to broaden and challenge traditional views of music and technology. In its most common use, 'music technology' tends to evoke images of twentieth and twenty-first century electronic devices: synthesizers, recording equipment, music notation software, and the like. This volume, however, treats all tools used to create, store, reproduce, and transmit music--new or old, electronic or not--as technologies worthy of investigation. All musical instruments can be considered technologies. The modern piano, for example, is a marvel of keys, hammers, strings, pedals, dampers, and jacks; just the sound-producing mechanism, or action, on a piano has more than 50 different parts. In this broad view, technology in music encompasses instruments, whether acoustic, electric, or electronic; engraving and printing; sound recording and playback; broadcasting; software; and much more. This volume challenges the view that technology is unnatural, something external to music. It was sometimes said in the early twentieth century that so-called mechanical music (especially player pianos and phonographs) was a menace to 'real' music; alternatively, technology can be freighted with utopian hopes and desires, as happens today with music streaming platforms. Positive or negative, these views assume that technology is something that acts upon music. By contrast, this volume characterizes technology as an integral part of all musical activity and portrays traditional instruments and electronic machines as equally technological"--Provided by publisher.

" ... Angela E. Douglas describes what we know about our resident microbiomes, explains how and why our health depends on them, and equips readers with background to better judge assertions made about microbiome-based applications"--Back cover.

"Examines the distinctive voice and radical themes of Mary Shelley's writing, which broke conventions and stretched nineteenth century literary genres. It explores the context, background, and important ideas contained in Shelley's most famous novel. It also demonstrates the significance of her other writings. This [book] recounts how Shelly, who was named Mary Godwin at the time, began writing Frankenstein in 1816, a period wherein the idea of a woman dreaming up stories of raising the dead was far-fetched. It mentions Shelley's literary career that included several publications of books, short stories, and essays"--Provided by publisher.

"This book outlines the nature of contemporary marketing, considering how marketers function as an interface between customers and organisations. As globalization creates increasing challenges to established marketing practices it shows how marketing efforts need to adapt continuously to allow an organisation to reach its intended market"--Provided by publisher.

"[This book] combines critical introductions to each of Jane Austen's major novels with an exploration of the themes of Austen's writing. Austen wrote six of the best-loved novels in the English language, as well as a smaller corpus of works unpublished in her day. She pioneered new techniques for representing voices, minds, and hearts in narrative prose, and was a penetrating satirist of social tensions and trends. This [book] considers how Austen reveals the literary, social, and political tensions from which the novels emerge. It also analyzes how her writing continues to charm and impact readers"--OCLC.

"Highlights one of the most influential writers of the 20th century--James Joyce. He is best known for his complex style, reinvention of language, and depiction of contemporary Ireland. Yet at the time of writing his work faced intense criticism, and his modernist epic Ulysses was banned for over a decade in Britain and America for obscenity. This book explores Joyce's major works including Ulysses, Dubliners, and Finnegan's Wake. It considers the contemporary significance of Joyce's examination of sexuality and nationalism, and places Joyce's works in the context of his life as well as the historical moment in which they were written"--Provided by publisher.

"... discusses why horror stories disturb us, and how society responds to literary and film representations of the gruesome and taboo"--Amazon.