Kirjahaku

From around 900 to 400 BC, the Etruscans were the most innovative, powerful, wealthy, and creative people in Italy. Their archaeological record is both substantial and fascinating, including tomb paintings, sculpture, jewellery, and art. In this Very Short Introduction, Christopher Smith explores Etruscan history, culture, language, and customs. Examining the controversial debates about their origins, he explores how they once lived, placing this within the geographical, economic, and political context of the time. Smith concludes by demonstrating how the Etruscans have been studied and perceived throughout the ages, and the impact this has had on our understanding of their place in history. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Written for social scientists who study the judiciary, legal scholars, judges, and others who are interested in the workings of the federal courts, this volume offers a comprehensive examination of the role of U.S. magistrates--the relatively invisible subordinate judicial officers within the federal district courts. The study is unique in its use of an observation methodology: the author was able to study U.S. magistrates during all of their daily activities and observe their interactions with other actors in the federal judiciary. Particularly valuable are its insights into such functions as pretrial conferences, meetings with litigants, and other situations normally beyond the purview of scholars and the public. The author focuses throughout on both the development of the magistrates' varied roles and their consequences for the federal judicial system.After examining magistrates' roles within several representative courts in detail, the author analyzes the factors which influence the development of these diverse roles and identifies the specific effects--both planned and unplanned--that the subordinate judicial officers have upon the court system. Smith refutes a commonly held view that district judges control the definition of magistrates' roles and concludes that in some cases, especially with regard to the coercion of litigants, the magistrate system's effects cannot be seen to be completely beneficial. In addition, the book contains an in-depth study of the appointment process for magistrates complete with a case history of the merit selection committee process. The author documents the influence of district judges over the merit selection process, adding concrete support to scholarly arguments about the inherently political nature of judicial selection.

Smith introduces a new concept, critical judicial nominations, to advance scholars' understanding of the consequences of the federal nomination process for the Supreme Court and the American political system. The study suggests that specific events related to the judicial branch, namely critical judicial nominations, have significant unanticipated consequences for the Supreme Court's role in the political system, as well as for electoral politics. This is demonstrated in illustrative historical examples which, most importantly, include an in-depth case study of the Clarence Thomas nomination and its subsequent ramifications.

This book analyzes why the Rehnquist Court never fulfilled expectations for the reversal of liberal judicial decisions from the Warren and Burger Courts. At its conservative high point in 1991-1992 the Supreme Court was dominated by seven justices who had dependably conservative voting records over the course of their early careers. Five of these justices were appointed in the 1980s and early 1990s by Reagan and Bush, presidents who made concerted efforts to appoint judicial officers who would undo liberal precedents. This is the first book to focus on scholars' growing recognition that the Rehnquist Court has not been as conservative as most presumed it would be. In focusing on Justice Antonin Scalia, whose role inadvertently contributed to the Court's failure to achieve conservative goals, the study examines how individual justices can affect Supreme Court decisions through their judicial behavior.

This book examines the federal judiciary in light of political science research on the role of interests and interest groups in the making of public policy. The author finds that efforts of federal judges to shape court administration are guided, in part, by self-interest which consequently affects the development and results of judicial policies. He argues that we must recognize judges as self-interested political actors whose motivation and behavior patterns are comparable to other political and administrative actors. By examining the actions of federal judges on a series of illustrative issues—civil justice reform, judicial salaries, habeas corpus reform, and judicial bureaucratization—the book illuminates the ways in which the judges' self-interested actions affect the courts and society. Judicial self-interest is not portrayed here as bad or even unexpected, but as a motivational factor of significance for government, law, and society that should be recognized and harnessed appropriately.

For 7,000 years after the last ice age, the people of the British Isles subsisted by hunting wild game and gathering fruits of the forest and foreshore. Belonging to the late Upper Palaelithic and Mesolithic periods, these hunter-gatherers have hitherto been viewed mainly in terms of stone tool typologies. late Stone Age Hunters of the British Isles departs from this conventional approach, reassessing the archaeological evidence and placing it within a wider ecological and geographical context. This well illustrated study, which includes case studies, maps and photographs, provides a balanced approach to the study of a period that demands multi-disciplinary treatment. It outlines a range of considerations that have a bearing on the study of early societies in the British Isles, and also forms a useful guide to communiites themselves as represented by known archaeological sites.

What is going on when a graphic novel has a twelfth-century samurai pick up a telephone to make a call, or a play has an ancient aristocrat teaching in a present-day schoolroom? Rather than regarding such anachronisms as errors, Samurai with Telephones develops a theory of how texts can use different types of anachronisms to challenge or rewrite history, play with history, or open history up to new possibilities. By applying this theoretical framework of anachronism to several Japanese literary and cultural works, author Christopher Smith demonstrates how different texts can use anachronism to open up history for a wide variety of different textual projects. From the modern period, this volume examines literature by Mori Ogai and Oe Kenzaburo, manga by Tezuka Osamu, art by Murakami Takashi, and a variety of other pop cultural works. Turning to the Early Modern period (Edo period, 1600–1868), which produced a literature rich with playful anachronism, he also examines several Kabuki and Bunraku plays, kibyoshi comic books, and gokan illustrated novels. In analyzing these works, he draws a distinction between anachronisms that attempt to hide their work on history and convincingly rewrite it and those conspicuous anachronisms that highlight and disrupt the construction of historical narratives.

What is going on when a graphic novel has a twelfth-century samurai pick up a telephone to make a call, or a play has an ancient aristocrat teaching in a present-day schoolroom? Rather than regarding such anachronisms as errors, Samurai with Telephones develops a theory of how texts can use different types of anachronisms to challenge or rewrite history, play with history, or open history up to new possibilities. By applying this theoretical framework of anachronism to several Japanese literary and cultural works, author Christopher Smith demonstrates how different texts can use anachronism to open up history for a wide variety of different textual projects. From the modern period, this volume examines literature by Mori Ogai and Oe Kenzaburo, manga by Tezuka Osamu, art by Murakami Takashi, and a variety of other pop cultural works. Turning to the Early Modern period (Edo period, 1600–1868), which produced a literature rich with playful anachronism, he also examines several Kabuki and Bunraku plays, kibyoshi comic books, and gokan illustrated novels. In analyzing these works, he draws a distinction between anachronisms that attempt to hide their work on history and convincingly rewrite it and those conspicuous anachronisms that highlight and disrupt the construction of historical narratives.

This book is a study of occupational advancement in American industry—a testing of the American tradition of 'getting ahead.' It deals in terms of mathematical probabilities with an individual's chances of advancing promotionally up through the social-industrial structure. The study is based on the experience of twenty-eight thousand individuals employed over a sixteen and one-half year period in a large-scale industrial plant—a plant quite representative of American industry in many significant respects. The author investigates advancements up to the gang boss level, to the assistant foreman level, to the foreman level, to the junior executive level, to the executive level, the senior executive level, the officer level, and the presidential level. His study looks at the chances of advancement for individuals as a whole, for individuals in specific occupational groups, for individuals with differing amounts of education, and for individuals with differing scores on tests for intelligence. This book tells how many of the individuals entering employment every year, and which ones, will be promoted; how far up the ladder they will go; how many, and which ones, will be demoted; and how many, and which ones, will remain permanently positioned on their entry-level jobs.

Christopher Smith researches a definitive answer to the question: Who is God? Using the Bible as a compass, Chris develops a picture of the Holy Trinity. Using life stories, references, and the scriptures he hopes all hearts will be changed by the one true God as revealed in his words

Was the world created by a stuffed animal named "Panna Bear"? How do you explain to your mom that every time she sees her grandson he's injured? What do you do when your 4-year-old boy discovers a Victoria's Secret catalog? Discover the answers in "Daddy On Board: Tales from the Front Seat," a collection of hilarious true stories straight from the front lines of daddyhood. Hitch a ride as this thirtysomething dad faces long work weeks with imaginary dragons, yaks and swords. Join him in a restroom break as he tries to keep a potty-trainee from touching anything. Learn a millennium version of "Don't make me stop this car and come back there!" Christopher Smith is a real Daddy, who changes diapers and kisses boo-boos while fixing the kitchen sink. Parents, grandparents and parents-to-be will see themselves in his insightful slices of family life, and everyone will enjoy comments from the child he calls The Boy, who observes, "Some days it's hard. Some days it's not. Some days it's pudding."

STEPHEN KING ON CHRISTOPHER SMITH: "Put me down as an enthusiastic Christopher Smith fan. Smith is a cultural genius." From the #1 International Best-selling author of "Fifth Avenue" comes Smith's best thriller yet Description: A billionaire investor dealt a grisly death.The suspects? Six of his seven children, all so desperate for their father's money, they'd kill for it. His seventh child, Camille, a former assassin who left that life behind to raise her now sixteen-year-old daughter Emma, must tap into old instincts to learn who killed her father and why. What she never sees coming are Emma's plans to go into Manhattan and find out on her own. Meanwhile, Camille must be found. Private investigator Marty Spellman is threatened by a mysterious man to find her. He has seventy-two hours or do so--or members of his own family die. Over the course of one day, Spellman, Camille, Emma, and Spellman's own fifteen-year-old daughter, Beth, must intervene to finish this and shut it down. Twists abound. Few are who they appear to be. Soon, all parties are in a rush to violence, but despite how quickly they act, it's clear that no one is safe.

Stephen King: "Put me down as an enthusiastic Christopher Smith fan. Smith is a cultural genius." "A very entertaining read " -Kirkus Carmen Gragera is a gifted international assassin. So was her lover, Alex Williams, before he was savagely murdered by a powerful syndicate who considered each end-of-cycle. Carmen escaped their wrath while within her-with Alex dead-her own wrath grew. Now, through unusual means, she's seeking her revenge against the syndicate for Alex's death. Assisting her is an eccentric Park Avenue-based seasonings heiress and a 103-year-old former psychiatrist whose contacts run deep. Also joining her is fellow assassin Vincent Spocatti, with whom Carmen has worked before and for whom she has the utmost respect. But is the respect mutual? In From Manhattan with Revenge, where there are so many twists, they eventually form a noose that whips around Carmen's neck, and revenge comes at a cost higher than she ever anticipated. From the #1 international best-selling author of Fifth Avenue, Running of the Bulls, From Manhattan with Love, A Rush to Violence, Park Avenue, You Only Die Twice, and the Bullied Series, From Manhattan with Revenge is a tense thriller that features Christopher Smith at his best.

Stephen King: "Put me down as an enthusiastic Christopher Smith fan. Smith is a cultural genius."Description: In her past, Cheryl Dunning died once. A violent act killed her, but heroics brought her back. Now, if she can't save herself from two serial killers hunting her in the Maine woods, she's about to die again, this time from two men armed with a Bible, guns, a deep belief in God, and their twisted interpretation of his word.Fueled by their righteous fury, they are determined to find Cheryl and murder her for what they perceive as her "life's worth of sins." What they don't know is what Cheryl knows. She's a Maine girl, born and raised--and she knows how to use these woods in ways that might, if she's lucky, turn them against each man.From the #1 international best-selling author of many thrillers, including "Fifth Avenue," "You Only Die Twice" is a blistering page-turner first, and a comment on Biblical interpretation second. It's Christopher Smith's most controversial and gripping novel to date.*Warning: "You Only Die Twice" is not for the faint of heart. This is a story of madness and the fight for survival, and it depicts realistic adult situations without hesitation.

*STEPHEN KING on Christopher Smith: "Put me down as an enthusiastic Christopher Smith fan. Smith is a cultural genius." Sometimes, even after death, revenge carries on. Targets remain targets. People will die. From the grave, one man's will delivers the directive. Kill George Redman. Kill Leana Redman. Kill every Redman. Finish the job, crush them all, do it swiftly, rob them of their hopes, steal away their dreams. In Park Avenue, the sixth book in the hugely popular Fifth Avenue series (Fifth Avenue, Running of the Bulls, From Manhattan with Love, From Manhattan with Revenge, A Rush to Violence), the heat boils over as characters from each book collide in a single collective nightmare. For the Redmans, the problem is that this one man, long since deceased, is not alone in his quest to see them dead. Others are conspiring against the Redmans, which leads to a punishing series of events as they fight for their lives. Park Avenue, which skewers New York society to its core, is the most complicated and satisfying thriller yet by #1 international best-selling novelist, Christopher Smith. THE FIFTH AVENUE SERIES in order: Fifth AvenueRunning of the BullsFrom Manhattan with LoveFrom Manhattan with RevengeA Rush to ViolencePark Avenue

*STEPHEN KING propos de Christopher Smith: "Consid rez-moi comme un fan inconditionnel de Christopher Smith... Smith est un g nie culturel." Description: Carmen Gragera est une tueuse internationale de haut vol. Tout comme l' tait son compagnon, Alex Williams, avant qu'il ne soit brutalement supprim par un gang puissant qui les jugeait tous deux en fin de cycle. Carmen chappe leur col re, mais, une fois Alex disparu, elle se laisse envahir pas une col re in dite et d vastatrice. Elle va maintenant tenter, par des moyens surprenants, de terrasser ce gang et de venger la mort d'Alex. ses c t s, l'h riti re excentrique d'une immense soci t d'import d' pices, install e Park Avenue, et un ancien psychiatre de 103 ans, au tr s riche carnet d'adresses. Et son coll gue et tueur Vincent Spocatti, avec qui Carmen a d j travaill , et qui elle voue le plus grand respect. Ce respect est-il pour autant r ciproque ? Manhattan, souviens-toi: intrigues et retournements entourent Carmen, un rythme effr n , et se resserrent comme une corde autour de son cou. La vengeance, oui. Mais un prix bien au-del de tout ce qu'elle aurait pu imaginer.