The Origins and Development of the English Language, Sixth Edition, continues to focus on the facts of language rather than on any of the various contemporary theoretical approaches to the study of those facts. The presentation is that of fairly traditional grammar and philology, so as not to require students to master a new theoretical approach at the same time they are exploring the intricacies of language history. The focus of the book is on the internal history of the English language: its sounds, grammar, and word stock. That linguistic history is, however, set against the social and cultural background of the changing times. The first three chapter are introductory, treating language in general as well as the pronunciation and orthography of present-day English. The succeeding central six chapters are the heart of the book, tracing the history of the language from prehistoric Indo-European days through Old English, Middle English, and early Modern English up to the present time. The final three chapters deal with vocabulary—the meaning, making, and borrowing of words.

Eyewitness Travel Guides are the original illustrated travel reference and throughout 2003, the entire list of more than 70 destinations is being fully updated to show you more of what other guides only tell you. With a stunning, brand-new look, Eyewitness Travel Guides are essential reading for vacation, business, or armchair travel. Consistently chosen over the competition in national consumer market research, Eyewitness Travel Guides include up-to-date information on local customs, currency, medical services, transportation, and much more.

A fascination with 1988, the most liberal moment in China since 1949, inspired this study, as did a frustration with breathless accounts of present day social change in China. As an historian, I wanted to trace the roots of contemporary developments, building on an almost fortyyear acquaintance with life in China. Many people and institutions have kindly enabled me to do this. A major grant from the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand provided much appreciated support for several visits to China. The Lee Hysan Foundation generously supported a two-month period working in the Universities Service Centre for China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The PekingUniversity Library was a productive home base for much of this research. Other institutions that helped include the Shanghai Library, the Library of the China Youth University for Political Sciences in Beijing, the National Library in Beijing, and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Research support also came from the University of Auckland, including its Faculty of Arts. Many colleagues and friends have helped along the way, including Philip Abela, Chris Berry, Tony and Susan Browne, Chen Xin, BrianDonovan, Hong-yu Gong,AndersHansson, Wayne Lawrence, HaiqingLin, Bonnie McDougall, Rumi Sakamoto, RobertSanders, Rebecca Wu Xiaojing, and Zhou Xuelin. Bonnie McDougall and Stanley Rosen offered valuable advice at crucial points in the project. Linda Lew made good use of a University of Auckland Summer Scholarship to trawl the Internet on my behalf. Jeff Lau has helped keep me grounded. At Cambridge in New York, Eric Crahan and Abigail Zorbaugh provided vital encouragement and support. These people and institutions, along with numerous friends and colleagues in China whom I have not named, have made the research a pleasure and this book possible. I warmly thank them all, including those whom I have not identified. The book’s shortcomings are mine alone.

Since the Middle Ages Europe has been one of the most urbanized continents on the planet and Europe's cities have firmly stamped their imprint on the continent's economic, social, political, and cultural life. This study of European cities and towns from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day looks both at regional trends from across Europe and also at the widely differing fortunes of individual communities on the roller coaster of European urbanization. Taking a wide-angled view of the continent that embraces northern and eastern Europe as well as the city systems of the Mediterranean and western Europe, it addresses important debates ranging from the nature of urban survival in the post-Roman era to the position of the European city in a globalizing world. The book is divided into three parts, dealing with the middle ages, the early modern period, and the nineteenth and twentieth centuries - with each part containing chapters on urban trends, the urban economy, social developments, cultural life and landscape, and governance. Throughout, the book addresses key questions such as the role of migration, including that of women and ethnic minorities; the functioning of competition and emulation between cities, as well as issues of inter-urban cooperation; the different ways civic leaders have sought to promote urban identity and visibility; the significance of urban autonomy in enabling cities to protect their interests against the state; and not least why European cities and towns over the period have been such pressure cookers for new ideas and creativity, whether economic, political, or cultural.

Proving that a band is truly the sum of its parts, this music history traces the influences and experiences that would later converge to form Led Zeppelin. Every recording and live session made by the future band members is traced and woven into a rich and insightful web of influences that contains a complete family tree of their musical and professional colleagues as well as a massive discography and list of live performances. Staggering insight into the workings of this period's big wigs and foot soldiers accompany details on bands and records that were recently discovered to have featured Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. Rare photographs of the bandmates in their pre–Led Zeppelin incarnations are included along with original interviews with their friends and colleagues.

This text is designed for students and anyone else with an interest in the history of life on our planet. The author describes the biological evolution of Earth’s organisms, and reconstructs their adaptations to the life they led, and the ecology and environment in which they functioned. On the grand scale, Earth is a constantly changing planet, continually presenting organisms with challenges. Changing geography, climate, atmosphere, oceanic and land environments set a stage in which organisms interact with their environments and one another, with evolutionary change an inevitable result. The organisms themselves in turn can change global environments: oxygen in our atmosphere is all produced by photosynthesis, for example. The interplay between a changing Earth and its evolving organisms is the underlying theme of the book. The book has a dedicated website which explores additional enriching information and discussion, and provides or points to the art for the book and many other images useful for teaching. See: www.wiley.com/go/cowen/historyoflife.