Continuum Publishing Group
The twenty greatest philosophy books.
Defining what makes a great philosophy book is definitely a challenge, and Garvey (Royal Institute of Philosophy) ranks these 20 titles by their ability to present and organize what he terms "large thoughts," or the ability of each author to put forth a thorough explanation of a particular school of philosophy. Starting with Plato and Aristotle, moving through the Age of Reason and finally landing in the 20th century with the likes of Sartre and Wittgenstein, Garvey refrains from merely praising each philosophical book, and even levels some criticisms of each work. But at the heart of this slim volume is a solemn respect for the accomplishments of these philosophers, and a vital appreciation for the contribution to the whole of philosophical thought through the centuries. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Twelfth night; character studies.
The series suggests ways of looking at the characters in specific plays that might be helpful either in literary analysis or in preparing performance. Atkin, otherwise anonymous like all the contributors, explores the plethora of characters in one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. Though crediting the intrinsic interest of particular characters, he is also concerned with how they can open the door to other critical, thematic, and theoretical issues such as the nature of comedy, cruelty, and the living language. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Understanding language; a basic course in linguistics.
Winkler (linguistics, University of Western Kentucky) introduces linguistics to non-major undergraduates in this accessible, reader-friendly text. Concepts are explained in an informal, jargon-free writing style, and the text is liberally sprinkled with humorous b&w photos. The book begins with discussion of what language is and what it is not, then covers the major structural areas of linguistics, including the systems used to create sound, grammar, and meaning. The final third of the book looks at how individuals and groups make use of language in their daily lives, exploring how gender, race, and ethnicity affect not just what we say but how we say it. The book can be used by any student taking linguistics at university, whether as their main subject of study, as part of a general education course, or in conjunction with related fields. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Using corpora in discourse analysis.
Baker's (linguistics and English language, Lancaster U., UK) text introduces researchers to the different sorts of analytical techniques that can be used with corpus-based discourse analysis. Following an overview of corpus linguistics and discussion of data collection and corpus building, the author utilizes a range of case studies demonstrating how the analytical techniques can be applied to different types of data, including holiday leaflets written for young adults, discourses of refugees in newspaper data, a large corpus of general British English involving never-married men and women, and a series of debates on fox-hunting from the British House of Commons. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Values in education.
This explores long-standing and new questions about how schools in a secular society should approach ethics, morality and religion. Haydon (philosophy of education, U. of London) takes a comprehensive approach with the understanding he is examining issues of values that anyone engaged in education is sure to encounter. He knows teachers come to the classroom complete with their own values and students will emerge with their own sometime later, informed by the values of their teachers, but that those students will also be informed by their own milieu and larger society. He takes an interdisciplinary approach as he describes the aims of education, moral values, conflict and plurality, and the three central values of compromise, tolerance and respect. He covers what is wrong and right about morality and its association with spirituality, the role of values in responsible citizenship, and how teachers as transmitters of values. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Victorian literature and culture.
This title, part of the Introductions to British Literature and Culture series, examines Victorian literature and its context from 1837-1901. Moran (English literature, Brunel U., London) sections the book into four parts; the first offers the historical, cultural, and intellectual context to the period; the second and lengthiest section describes literature in the Victorian age, including the major genres of poetry, fiction, drama, and nonfiction prose as well as literary movements such as the Pre-Raphaelites, Aestheticism, Decadence, and New Women fiction. The third section outlines critical approaches, and the fourth lists resources for study, including a chronology of historical and cultural events, a glossary of terms and concepts, and further suggested resources. This publication is intended for introductory-level students. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Vikings; culture and conquest. (reprint, 2006)
For these four decades, lights have been coming on all over The Dark Ages, declares Arnold (Old Norse-Icelandic studies, Hull U., England), that will not go out during his career. Information about the vikings and their activities has proliferated until it can fill entire libraries, so he summarizes and selects to provide a broad view of the Scandinavian raiders who swooped down on Britain and continental Europe from the eighth to the 11th centuries, and explored and settled the western Atlantic. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Virginia Woolf; a critical memoir.
This volume, originally published in 1932, was the first critical study of Virginia Woolf in English. Holtby examines Woolf's work and contradictions in it, in addition to providing specific discussions of The Voyage Out, Night and Day, Jacob's Room, To the Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando, and The Waves, and essays The Mark on the Wall, Kew Gardens, and Monday or Tuesday. Holtby was a novelist, journalist, and social reformer. Shaw (English, Loughborough U., UK) has added a new preface, which includes context for Holtby's writing of the volume and Woolf's reception of it. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Waiting for Godot; character studies.
Lawley explores characters and characterization in Samuel Beckett's modern play about two old men waiting for someone who never arrives. He discusses puzzles and difficulties, pseudo-couples and character, alone together, and in company. A conclusion considers how studying the characters can elucidate the play's themes and issues. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Walter Benjamin and the Arcades project.
During the 1920s and 1930s, German-Jewish literary critic and philosopher Benjamin (1892-1940) was developing a cultural theory of modernity and the metropolis that would have been his magnus opus had he finished it. Mostly American scholars of literature, philosophy, and art comment on parts of the work that remain. Some of the 13 essays have been published elsewhere. Only names are indexed. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
War and ethics; a new just war theory.
Just war theory "is bleeding" says Fotion (philosophy, Emory U.) from under-use, from being used as window dressing, from the harms that have resulted from its use, from how loose and plastic it is, and from the evolving nature of war. However, it is not time to entirely scrap it he argues after a review of the theory, objections to it, and case studies of its application. Instead he proposes to fix it by constructing two revised just war theories, one for use in conflicts between states and one for use in asymmetrical conflicts. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
What is theory?; cultural theory as discourse and dialogue.
Zima (comparative literature, University of Klagenfurt, Austria) feels that scholars in linguistics, social sciences and literature have been tossing around the term "theory" for some time without examining what theory really is. Therefore he examines the term as it is used in various constructs. He differentiates scientific theory, based on mathematics, from social theory, based on linguistic structures, which must be viewed as a whole and not reduced to their components. After examining many forms of theory, Zima provides his own "meta-theory" and explains why it will help communication within disciplines. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Who's afraid of Deleuze and Guattari? (reprint, 2006)
This is a paperbound reprint of a 2006 book. As brilliant as Deleuze and Guattari are, sometimes they are overshadowed by critical agendas and interpretations that have accumulated in waves. Lambert (English, Syracuse U.) argues that despite their comments the commentators have underappreciated the project or hastily dismissed it while simultaneously assimilated the objectives into their own projects in multi-culturalism or American identity politics. He builds upon the question of why the revolution of desire did not take place according to its expression, its elements of psychoanalysis, its touch upon politics and its relation to power. The result should be required reading for those who are afraid but will not admit it publicly. The bibliography for this title is accessible only at www.continuumbooks.com. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Wittgenstein and ethical inquiry; a defense of ethics as clarification.
Though Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) is mostly silent on the issue of ethics, Wisnewski (philosophy, Hartwick College, US) argues that he offers immense resources for understanding the appropriate aims of any philosophical ethics. He warns that he does not discuss his life or thought of the German philosopher, only uses him as a point of departure for his construction of an ethics that is non-assertoric but still meaningful. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Wittgenstein's religious point of view.
Labron (Concordia U. College, Alberta) argues that the distinctive character of German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's (1889-1951) conception of philosophy is thrown into relief by the specifically religious analogy of Hebraic thought. He considers both his early and late thought in terms of religion in general and Hebraic thought in particular. The Golden Calf and other idols make an appearance. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Wittgenstein's Tractatus logico-philosophicus.
White, who is not further identified, assumes his readers are working their way through the major early work of German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, and will be going back and forth between the mother text and his guide to it. He discusses the context, the themes, strategies of reading, and reception and influence. He includes an annotated bibliography of works for further study. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Women's fiction, 1945-2005; writing romance. (reprint, 2006)
This is a paperbound reprint of a 2006 book. Decade by decade, Philips (U. of Brighton, UK) examines novels written either by or for women from the end of World War II onward. Starting with the post-war masculinity that dominated women's fiction in the 1950s, the author charts the changes and trends over the next 60 years, making distinctions between "literary" fiction and its more popular counterparts. Philips eventually challenges those distinctions, blurring the lines as gender expectations evolved throughout the Feminist Era. This latest entry in the Continuum Literary Studies series should interest students of both literature and Women's Studies. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The wonderful and surprising history of Sweeney Todd; the life and times of an urban legend.
Mack (English, U. of Exeter, UK) traces the many manifestations of the Sweeney Todd tale, from its origins as a Victorian serial story through its reproduction in film, ballet, musicals, and opera. Coverage includes an examination of the larger cultural concerns raised by the story of Sweeney Todd, the origins and literary history of the specific narrative of Sweeney Todd, and a detailed discussion of some of the forms the story has taken since its initial appearance in 1846-7. An academic treatment of the subject geared towards students and scholars, the text also includes a detailed genealogy, history and chronology listing possible narrative precedents and proto-myths for the specific tale of Sweeney Todd, and the most significant manifestations of the story in various media since publication of the original work. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Words, meaning and vocabulary; an introduction to modern English lexicology, 2d ed.
This introduction to the words and vocabulary (lexicology) of English is aimed at students of English language/linguistics (possibly with little prior knowledge of linguistics) taking courses in the analysis and description of the English language. Coverage includes lexicology as a level of language analysis and the origin and development of English. Chapter exercises and answers are included. This second edition provides chapter-opening summaries, updated web sites and references, and a glossary of terms in lexicology. Amvela is affiliated with Yaoundé university in Cameroon. Jackson is affiliated with Birmingham Polytechnic, University of Central England. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Working with Spanish corpora.
Ten international academics and researchers contribute ten chapters to the first book published in English focusing on Spanish variation among diversified corpora and registers. Included are studies of spoken and written, as well as specialized and non-specialized, registers from Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Spain, and the U.S. Some chapters focus on language teaching/learning processes in schools and universities, while others are more concerned with the phenomena of genre description and discourse variation across different registers or in cross-linguistic research. Together they illustrate the broad range of corpus-based research now being carried out in Spanish- speaking countries, and countries where Spanish is not the official language. For students, scholars, researchers, and teachers of linguistics and of Spanish. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Young, British, and Muslim.
Lewis (peace studies, Bradford U.) has been working with Muslims in Bradford for over 20 years as a practitioner of Christian-Muslim relations advising Anglican bishops, and as an academic lecturing about Islam and the West. This work, he says, has provided him with a perspective lacking in most recent books, articles, and media commentary about British Muslims. One of his concerns is the generation gap and the transmission of Islam to the young. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
