Graham Allan

This deluxe jacketed hardcover is visual storytelling at its best. Almost 1,900 photographs (two-thirds of them taken just for this book) showcase Disney's key locations filled with special holiday menu offerings, the biggest parade and stage productions and nighttime spectacles, the tiniest decorating details from amazing artists and designers, and, of course, the most significant historical holiday events. A harmonic trio of researchers, writers, and photographers logged more than 180,000 miles visiting every Disney park and resort across the globe, personally documenting the holiday installations through eighty thousand photographs and, wherever possible, meeting the talented and endlessly passionate artisans behind it all.With twelve theme parks and dozens of resort hotels, plus numerous cruise ships, dining and shopping districts, and more than six decades of holiday experiences, there are a lot of pumpkin treatments and ornate trees to reflect upon. (The smallest holiday tree at a Disney property is just four inches high, while the very tallest reaches up to seventy feet.) Every parade or show requires dozens (sometimes hundreds) of creative magicians both onstage and off. And each decoration is chosen carefully to fit within a story and is expertly placed on its tree or garland by craftspeople backstage. The decor is installed onstage, maintained, and, ultimately, disassembled by technicians before it is once again cleaned, prepared, and stored in vast warehouses. . .till next year's event. The stories and contributions from so many unsung Cast Members (often hard at work at hours of the night when others are asleep) fill these pages, along with the joys of Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year celebrations. Time to join the party

First published in 1994. The sociology of community is currently undergoing something of a revival, and this book has been written with the aim of contributing to this process in a number of ways. First of all, it draws attention to the burgeoning literature on sociological aspects of community life. Secondly, its bring together the various studies considered here into a more coherent whole than they possess as simply a collection of separate pieces of research.

How important are social networks to daily life? There is now substantial evidence that attachment to a network may be vital in securing employment, in promoting good health, in maintaining positive relationships, and in supporting people in transitions through the life course. Equally, lack of access to networks may lead to problems of various kinds, such as poverty, lack of support in old age, and social isolation. Providing an overview of the social network literature with a particular focus on the USA and Britain, this illuminating volume reviews the range of social issues and concerns associated with the social network perspective. Examples of quantitative and qualitative studies are given using a broad network approach, and the volume concludes with a discussion of the implications for social and public policy of a network perspective.

Banach spaces and algebras are a key topic of pure mathematics. Graham Allan's careful and detailed introductory account will prove essential reading for anyone wishing to specialise in functional analysis and is aimed at final year undergraduates or masters level students. Based on the author's lectures to fourth year students at Cambridge University, the book assumes knowledge typical of first degrees in mathematics, including metric spaces, analytic topology, and complex analysis. However, readers are not expected to be familiar with the Lebesgue theory of measure and integration. The text begins by giving the basic theory of Banach spaces, including dual spaces and bounded linear operators. It establishes forms of the theorems that are the pillars of functional analysis, including the Banach-Alaoglu, Hahn-Banach, uniform boundedness, open mapping, and closed graph theorems. There are applications to Fourier series and operators on Hilbert spaces. The main body of the text is an introduction to the theory of Banach algebras. A particular feature is the detailed account of the holomorphic functional calculus in one and several variables; all necessary background theory in one and several complex variables is fully explained, with many examples and applications considered. Throughout, exercises at sections ends help readers test their understanding, while extensive notes point to more advanced topics and sources. The book was edited for publication by Professor H. G. Dales of Leeds University, following the death of the author in August, 2007.

Banach spaces and algebras are a key topic of pure mathematics. Graham Allan's careful and detailed introductory account will prove essential reading for anyone wishing to specialise in functional analysis and is aimed at final year undergraduates or masters level students. Based on the author's lectures to fourth year students at Cambridge University, the book assumes knowledge typical of first degrees in mathematics, including metric spaces, analytic topology, and complex analysis. However, readers are not expected to be familiar with the Lebesgue theory of measure and integration. The text begins by giving the basic theory of Banach spaces, including dual spaces and bounded linear operators. It establishes forms of the theorems that are the pillars of functional analysis, including the Banach-Alaoglu, Hahn-Banach, uniform boundedness, open mapping, and closed graph theorems. There are applications to Fourier series and operators on Hilbert spaces. The main body of the text is an introduction to the theory of Banach algebras. A particular feature is the detailed account of the holomorphic functional calculus in one and several variables; all necessary background theory in one and several complex variables is fully explained, with many examples and applications considered. Throughout, exercises at sections ends help readers test their understanding, while extensive notes point to more advanced topics and sources. The book was edited for publication by Professor H. G. Dales of Leeds University, following the death of the author in August, 2007.

There is no shortage of political and moral commentary on family life. Frequently the underlying theme of these commentaries is the decline of contemporary family commitment, particularly when older people's family experiences are the focus. "Family Practices in Later Life" challenges many common stereotypes about the nature of family involvement as people age. The book explores diversity and change in the family relationships older people maintain, looking at how family relationships are constructed and organised in later life. It recognises that the emerging patterns are a consequence of the choices and decisions negotiated within family networks, emphasising older people's agency in the construction of their family practices. In exploring such themes as long-term marriage, sibling ties in later life and grandparenthood, the book highlights the continued significance of family connection and solidarity in later life, while recognizing that family relationships are inevitably modified over time as people's social and material circumstances alter. "Family Practices in Later Life" will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the fields of social policy, family studies and social gerontology. It provides a valuable contribution to the developing field of critical social gerontology as well as to an understanding of family process.

There is no shortage of political and moral commentary on family life. Frequently the underlying theme of these commentaries is the decline of contemporary family commitment, particularly when older people's family experiences are the focus. "Family Practices in Later Life" challenges many common stereotypes about the nature of family involvement as people age. The book explores diversity and change in the family relationships older people maintain, looking at how family relationships are constructed and organised in later life. It recognises that the emerging patterns are a consequence of the choices and decisions negotiated within family networks, emphasising older people's agency in the construction of their family practices. In exploring such themes as long-term marriage, sibling ties in later life and grandparenthood, the book highlights the continued significance of family connection and solidarity in later life, while recognizing that family relationships are inevitably modified over time as people's social and material circumstances alter. "Family Practices in Later Life" will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the fields of social policy, family studies and social gerontology. It provides a valuable contribution to the developing field of critical social gerontology as well as to an understanding of family process.

How important are social networks to daily life? There is now substantial evidence that attachment to a network may be vital in securing employment, in promoting good health, in maintaining positive relationships, and in supporting people in transitions through the life course. Equally, lack of access to networks may lead to problems of various kinds, such as poverty, lack of support in old age, and social isolation. Providing an overview of the social network literature with a particular focus on the USA and Britain, this illuminating volume reviews the range of social issues and concerns associated with the social network perspective. Examples of quantitative and qualitative studies are given using a broad network approach, and the volume concludes with a discussion of the implications for social and public policy of a network perspective.

Recent decades have witnessed remarkable changes in family patterns and household organisation. In particular, contemporary family and household relationships have become far more diverse than they were previously. This book examines the character of these changes, providing a systematic overview of the ways in which domestic arrangements have been altering. Moreover, it places these developments in family and domestic life in their wider economic, social and demographic contexts, showing how family patterns can be understood only by linking what happens inside families with the broader environments in which they operate. Particular attention is paid in the text to the growth of new forms of solidarity and fragmentation within families and households, including cohabitation, divorce, lone-parent households and step-families. The book also focuses on the dynamics of family and household organisation, emphasising the changes that occur in people's domestic relationships as their life course position alters. Thus, in addition to examining the contemporary organisation of marriage, including the domestic division of labour and patterns of resource allocation, it also analyses the household and family circumstances of young adults and people over retirement age. In focusing on diversity and change in domestic relationships the book reflects the revitalisation evident in the sociology of family life in recent years, a period in which new research questions and fresh understandings have emerged about the ways in which people organise their lives as members of households and families.Graham Allan is Reader in Sociology at the University of Southampton. His interests include sociology of the family, community and friendship.Graham Crow is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Southampton. His interests include the sociology of domestic life, community, sociological theory and comparative sociology.

Recent decades have witnessed remarkable changes in family patterns and household organisation. In particular, contemporary family and household relationships have become far more diverse than they were previously. This book examines the character of these changes, providing a systematic overview of the ways in which domestic arrangements have been altering. Moreover, it places these developments in family and domestic life in their wider economic, social and demographic contexts, showing how family patterns can be understood only by linking what happens inside families with the broader environments in which they operate. Particular attention is paid in the text to the growth of new forms of solidarity and fragmentation within families and households, including cohabitation, divorce, lone-parent households and step-families. The book also focuses on the dynamics of family and household organisation, emphasising the changes that occur in people's domestic relationships as their life course position alters. Thus, in addition to examining the contemporary organisation of marriage, including the domestic division of labour and patterns of resource allocation, it also analyses the household and family circumstances of young adults and people over retirement age. In focusing on diversity and change in domestic relationships the book reflects the revitalisation evident in the sociology of family life in recent years, a period in which new research questions and fresh understandings have emerged about the ways in which people organise their lives as members of households and families.Graham Allan is Reader in Sociology at the University of Southampton. His interests include sociology of the family, community and friendship.Graham Crow is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Southampton. His interests include the sociology of domestic life, community, sociological theory and comparative sociology.

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Who does what in the family, and how far do the divisions and inequalities which occur in a family context reflect those in society as a whole? This introductory text to the sociology of the family combines recent feminist interpretations of domestic life with the traditional concerns of family sociology to offer a fre4ash treatment of a topic of importance not only for students of sociology but also for those engaged in professional training for such careers as social work or health visiting. Particularly concerned with the impact that domestic roles have both inside and outside the home, Family Life examines how their organization is structured by the broader social and economic contexts within which families operate. A major part of this involves uncovering the way in which the division of tasks and responsibilities between the genders within the home is both shaped by and shapes the divisions and inequalities that occur outside it. How far do the routine domestic demands upon women limit the opportunities open to them in work and leisure, and how do such demands affect marriage and divorce? What is the real influence of unemployment on the domestic roles? What effect does caring for the elderly have on the carer? In addressing such questions, the book relates the organization of family life to the broader economic and social contexts to provide a novel yet integrated approach.