Roberts Paul

We live in the age of creativity. It is integral to everything we do. It inspires innovation, improving our environment, our products, our businesses and the quality of our lives. The UK has become a creative nation, renowned throughout the world. This book argues that cultural and creative activities should form a vital part of the everyday lives of young people - that they are academically, physically, socially and emotionally enriching. Encompassing archaeology, architecture and the built environment, archives, craft, dance, design, digital arts, drama and theatre, film and cinemas, galleries, heritage, libraries, literature, live performance, museums, music, poetry and the visual arts, John Sorrell, Paul Roberts and Darren Henley offer a blueprint for a renewed approach to cultural and creative education that will be required reading whether you are a parent, a practitioner, an educator or a policymaker. Far too important to be regarded as entertaining optional extras, creativity and cultural education matter.

Midland Red was the largest bus operator outside London and was unusual in that it designed, built and operated most of its own vehicles. Unlike LT through its AEC/Park Royal connection and Bristol, Midland Red did not sell its vehicles to other operators. This left the company in a unique position and as a result, gained many followers. Although there have been many books about Midland Red published over the years, they seem to concentrate on the period from the company's formation until it was nationalised and ceased its own vehicle production. The company carried on as an NBC company and continued to run its own home built vehicles until they were life expired. In addition, the company acquired other operators, such as Harper Brothers of Heath Hayes, and experimented with different types of bus service. These include the provision of 'minibuses' and full size buses that had been cut down. In an effort to find 'reliable' replacement vehicles, the company also tested other makes of bus, such as Bristol. This would have been unheard of only a few years earlier. The other major change in the company in this period was the formation of the West Midlands PTE.This involved transferring the garages and vehicles in the WMPTE area to WMPTE. As a result, many Midland Red built vehicles could be seen sporting the cream and blue WMPTE livery until they were finally replaced.

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) was a great harmonic innovator and one of the most original musical voices of the twentieth century. He created fresh, new tonal perspectives without abandoning tonality itself. With a revolutionary sense of instrumental colour and a fleeting, atmospheric sound world, he is often described, rightly or wrongly, as an ‘Impressionist’ composer. This book presents a clear narrative history of Debussy’s life, work and cultural context along with essential reference material and striking illustrations, making it a vital purchase for anyone interested in the composer.