In the autumn of his days, a distinguished privy councillor contemplates his past and looks back at the key moments of his life. A reluctant and indolent student, he recalls a chance meeting with a reclusive professor and his frustrated wife, with whom he ends up sharing lodgings. His thirst for knowledge leads him to form an ambiguous and close relationship with the professor. But the professor harbours a secret which changes and scars both men for ever.
In the year 1689, a cabal of Barbary galley slaves -- including one Jack Shaftoe, aka King of the Vagabonds, aka Half-Cocked Jack -- devises a daring plan to win freedom and fortune. A great adventure ensues -- a perilous race for an enormous prize of silver ... nay, gold ... nay, legendary gold. In Europe, the exquisite and resourceful Eliza, Countess de la Zeur, is stripped of her immense personal fortune by France's most dashing privateer. Penniless and at risk from those who desire either her or her head (or both), she is caught up in a web of international intrigue, even as she desperately seeks the return of her most precious possession. Meanwhile, Newton and Leibniz continue to propound their grand theories as their infamous rivalry intensifies, stubborn alchemy does battle with the natural sciences, dastardly plots are set in motion ... and Daniel Waterhouse seeks passage to the Massachusetts colony in hopes of escaping the madness into which his world has descended. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Finally, the answer to the many questions that have been preying on the minds of millions of Americans has arrived. Why are Americans so vulnerable to divisive political tactics? Why did Americans get dragged into such an unwise war in Iraq? Why do fundamentalist religious groups, Fox News, and right-wing radio still play such influential roles in America's political landscape? And why are long-accepted rational scientific ideas like evolution under siege? These questions hold America's future in the balance. Ultimately, they are questions about the American mind. Psychologist-attorney Dr. Bryant Welch has the answers. If America is going to change the mind-set that led us to war in Iraq and left us unable to confront our serious national problems, this book is vitally important. Drawing on his unique experience both as a clinical psychologist and a Washington, D.C., political figure with the American Psychological Association, Dr. Welch shows how the long-term effects of sophisticated new forms of political manipulation have not only led to our debacle in Iraq but are also currently undercutting America's ability to address its very serious problems. In the 1944 movie Gaslight, a husband drives his wife to the brink of insanity by playing games with her sense of reality. Just as in the movie, America's most recent political "gaslighters," such as George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and many religious leaders, have generated and exploited confusion in the minds of countless Americans. Gaslighters prey on their victim's vulnerability to paranoia, sexual perplexity, and envy to undermine the mind's ability to function rationally. Welch examines why millions of Americans, in response to such assaults, subconsciously and dangerously create their own simplistic reality, even if it is completely different from the more complex reality of the world. Most important, State of Confusion explains how and why Americans must act now to fight back against this harmful manipulation before it's too late. Dr. Welch's exploration of the American mind is both fascinating and frightening, and State of Confusion is a must-read for everyone who cares about the future of this great country.
"An important book" — The New York Times. Set in Philadelphia a century ago, this novel by a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance explores the struggle for social equality as experienced by members of the black middle class.
This book is the first that describes the practices of any stock exchange; it makes evident a high development of practices, with puts, calls, pools, and manipulations; and it appeared as early as the seventeenth century. Not inappropriately the stock exchange described is that of Amsterdam, a city which at the date of the volume’s publication —1688 — was still the leading financial center of the world. The book, to be sure, is hardly a systematic account of the institution; the author pursued moral, philosophical, and rhetorical objectives, and, while saying a lot that seems now to be of little value, manages somehow to leave unsaid a great deal that would be of interest for us. Nevertheless, it represents, even in its peculiar form, a really important source of information about the stock exchange, and indeed about the Dutch business world of that period.
Rather than deal with the problems he was facing as a recent college grad, Paul Jury decided to leave them in his rearview mirror. He might not have known the direction his life was headed, but he knew the route he was taking to hit all forty-eight contiguous states on one epic road trip. Filled with plenty of adventure and the unforeseen obstacle (or twelve), States of Confusion puts you in shotgun to see where the road takes Paul. All he knows--after crashing on the beer-soaked couch of his younger brother's frat--is that there's no going back.
No Catholic can be unaware of the crisis in Catholic liturgy. Even priests are often bewildered by the contrary information put out by liturgical "experts". This one-of-a-kind book cuts through the confusion: empowers priests and laity to deal with the "liturgical elite"; explains what the Church does and doesn't allow; distills the answers from a mountain of liturgical documents; provides information in a clear and concise way; silences personal "reinterpretations" of the Church's liturgical law; documents your right to have Mass celebrated as the Church intended
The women of the Cazalet family carry on while WWII casts its shadow over England as the saga by the award-winning author of The Light Years continues. In the spring of 1942, after the attacks on Pearl Harbor have pulled America into the war, the world reels from the ever-increasing atrocities of the conflict. And in Sussex, at the Cazalet family estate known as Home Place, personal tragedies begin to take their toll. Polly, reacting to the untimely death of her mother, flees her comfortable surroundings accompanied her cousin Clary. But the bustling life of London proves a test not only for their ability to live on their own but also for their once-close relationship. Nineteen-year-old Louise believes she has found the man of her dreams in dashing naval officer Michael Hadleigh. After a whirlwind marriage and honeymoon, though, she begins to realize that being a young wartime bride is not the fairy tale she once presumed it would be. With Rupert still missing in action, his second wife, Zoë, struggles to maintain hope that her husband will one day return. But when a handsome stranger offers her solace, she finds herself drawn into an inadvisable but sorely needed affair. Confusion beautifully continues the sweeping family epic started in The Light Years and Marking Time, examining the struggles, passions, heartbreaks, and joys of three generations. Filled with profound reflections on a country torn apart by war and intimate glances into the lives of those left behind, this is a must-read novel for fans of Downton Abbey and lovers of wartime historical fiction.
Everyone has mistaken one thing for another, such as a stranger for an acquaintance. A person who has mistaken two things, Joseph L. Camp argues, even on a massive scale, is still capable of logical thought. In order to make that idea precise, one needs a logic of confused thought that is blind to the distinction between the objects that have been confused. Confused thought and language cannot be characterized as true or false even though reasoning conducted in such language can be classified as valid or invalid. To the extent that philosophers have addressed this issue at all, they take it for granted that confusion is a kind of ambiguity. Camp rejects this notion; his fundamental claim is that confusion is not a mental state. To attribute confusion to someone is to take up a paternalistic stance in evaluating his reasoning. Camp proposes a novel characterization of confusion, and then demonstrates its fruitfulness with several applications in the history of philosophy and the history of science.
I set out on the path of writing to work through all the stuff that floats around my thick skull, and that's mostly what this book is about. It was only through the encouragement of others, that it was actually formed into a book and has been brought to you. In everything I write there is an intent to move the reader one way or the other. All of my work that could not accomplish this was left on the hard drive of my computer and will stay there. Through my words and their meanings, I want you to think and feel something, good or bad it does not matter as long as it takes you somewhere. I hope that reading this book can open your mind to new thoughts and new ideas and give you something to carry through your day.Thank you, B.D. Smith
