Best Selling Books by a

This reference grammar provides, for the first time, a description of the grammar of Mandarin Chinese, the official spoken language of China and Taiwan, in functional terms, focusing on the role and meanings of word-level and sentence-level structures in actual conversations.

This book examines the influence of precedent on the behavior of the US Supreme Court justices throughout the Court''s history. Supreme Court justices almost always "follow" precedent, in that they always cite precedents for the positions they take. Because there are always precedents on either side of a case for justices to follow, following precedent does not mean that the justices are ever influenced by precedent. Employing the assumption that for precedent to be an influence on the behavior of justices, it must lead to a result they would not otherwise have reached, the authors show that precedent rarely controls the justices'' votes.

Mark Tessler''s comprehensive and balanced history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the earliest times to the present provides a constructive framework for understanding recent developments and assessing the prospects for future peace.

By the eighteenth century Paris was one of the great wonders of Europe, renowned for its magnificent royal monuments and as a center for science, literature, and the arts. More so than any other European city, Paris reflected the spirit of an age--an age that reached its zenith with the reign of France''s Sun King, Louis XIV. No book better captures that spirit than Orest Ranum''s Paris in the Age of Absolutism, first published in 1968 and now reissued in a revised and expanded edition. Ranum''s tour of Paris begins in the late 1500s with a French capital city exhausted by the violence of the Wars of Religion and proceeds through the long century that ends with the death of Louis XIV in 1715. Henry IV (1589-1610), head of the Bourbon branch of the royal family, laid the foundations of modern Paris, but it was during the mature years of his grandson, Louis XIV, and during the service of his visionary minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, that a New Rome was created. By 1715 the city was far different from what it had been in 1590. There were now large geometrical public squares with statues of the King at their focal point. There were arches of triumph, hospital-prisons, a new and gigantic wing on the Louvre, handsome stone bridges, streetlights, and massive stone quays along the Seine. Ranum ranges widely through the streets and quarters of Paris, attentive to the achievements of town planners, architects, and engineers as well as to city politics, social currents, and the spirit of religious reform. Behind it all lay the rule-creating authoritarianism of the absolute state, which, ironically, unleashed Parisians'' creative impulses in everything from literature, painting, and music to architecture, mathematics, and physics. Paris in the Age of Absolutism is one of those rare books that combines elegant prose with stunning erudition, making it both captivating for general readers and challenging to scholars. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to take into account the wealth of scholarship that has appeared since 1968. Of particular note are a new introduction and a new chapter on women writers. A larger format accentuates a full selection of illustrations, many of them new to this edition.

Argues that the largely negative portrayal of fathers in mass media is both inaccurate and harmful, and offer proposals for change.

The author of The Eudaemonic Pie now reveals the inspiration, motivations, and aspirations of the world''s greatest scientists. The scientists interviewed in this collection have changed the rules of the game--altered our perception of reality and the language used to describe it.

Chronicles the history of the Russian Empire from the Mongol Invasion, through the Bolshevik Revolution, to the aftereffects of the Cold War.

The concepts of differential topology form the center of many mathematical disciplines such as differential geometry and Lie group theory. Differential Manifolds presents to advanced undergraduates and graduate students the systematic study of the topological structure of smooth manifolds. Author Antoni A. Kosinski, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Rutgers University, offers an accessible approach to both the h-cobordism theorem and the classification of differential structures on spheres. "How useful it is," noted the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, "to have a single, short, well-written book on differential topology." This volume begins with a detailed, self-contained review of the foundations of differential topology that requires only a minimal knowledge of elementary algebraic topology. Subsequent chapters explain the technique of joining manifolds along submanifolds, the handle presentation theorem, and the proof of the h-cobordism theorem based on these constructions. There follows a chapter on the Pontriagin Construction—the principal link between differential topology and homotopy theory. The final chapter introduces the method of surgery and applies it to the classification of smooth structures of spheres. The text is supplemented by numerous interesting historical notes and contains a new appendix, "The Work of Grigory Perelman," by John W. Morgan, which discusses the most recent developments in differential topology.

A New History of India, now in its fifth edition, explores today''s affluent India. This edition remains the most readable and illuminating one-volume history of India and brings students up-to-date on current developments.

Soil Genesis and Classification, Sixth Edition, builds on the success of the previous editions to present an unparalleled resource on soil formation and classification. Featuring a color plate section containing multiple soil profiles, this text also includes information on new classification systems and emerging technologies and databases with updated references throughout. Covering the diverse needs of both the academic and professional communities, this classic text will be a must have reference for all those in soil science and related fields.

Lawrence A. Hoffman''s inquiry into the reasons for the canonization of the Jewish style synagogue service between the eighth and eleventh centuries presents a novel reinterpretation of the available evidence that will have repercussions for studies of Jewish and Christian liturgy. The author suggests that Babylonian Jewish authorities attempted to fix Jewish liturgy during the height of the geonic period (c. 750-1025 A. D.) in response to changing social and economic conditions, and that this period, customarily considered as a whole, should be divided instead into three distinct eras. Because the changing attitude toward liturgical canonization during this period reflects the Jewish community''s self-perception and its view of other groups with whom it dealt, Professor Hoffman''s findings cast fresh light on such important matters as the Karaite schism and the condition of the medieval Palestinian community. In addition, many of the ancient liturgical alternatives discussed provide essential background for studies of both Jewish and Christian liturgies of antiquity. To enhance usefulness of the book for nonexperts, this volume contains a glossary of liturgical terms and rubrics, introductory surveys of the history of the prayers discussed, and full biography and notes for further reading.

Rivers differ among themselves and through time. An individual river can vary significantly downstream, changing its dimensions and pattern dramatically over a short distance. If hydrology and hydraulics were the primary controls on the morphology and behaviour of large rivers, we would expect long reaches of rivers to maintain characteristic and relatively uniform morphologies. In fact, this is not the case - the variability of large rivers indicates that other important factors are involved. River Variability and Complexity presents an interesting approach to the understanding of river variability. It provides examples of river variability and explains the reasons for them, including fluvial response to human activities. Understanding the mechanisms of variability is important for geomorphologists, geologists, river engineers and sedimentologists as they attempt to interpret ancient fluvial deposits or anticipate river behaviour at different locations and through time. This book provides an excellent background for graduates, researchers and professionals.

For sixty years, U.S. government officials have conducted public diplomacy programs to try to reach Arab public opinion—to inform, educate, and understand Arab attitudes. American public affairs officers have met serious challenges in the past, but Arab public criticism of the United States has reached unprecedented levels since September 11, 2001. Polls show that much of the negative opinion of the United States, especially in the Middle East, can be traced to dissatisfaction with U.S. foreign policy. Rugh, a retired career Foreign Service officer who twice served as ambassador to countries in the region, explains how U.S. government officials have dealt with key problem issues over the years, and he recommends ways that public diplomacy can better support and enhance U.S. national interests in the Middle East. This struggle for the hearts and minds of the Arab world, so crucial to the success of American efforts in post-occupation Iraq, is carried out through broadcasting, cultural contacts, and educational and professional exchanges. Rugh describes the difference between public diplomacy and propaganda. He points out that public diplomacy uses open means of communication and is truthful. Its four main components are explaining U.S. foreign policy to foreign publics; presenting them with a fair and balanced picture of American society, culture, and institutions; promoting mutual understanding; and advising U.S. policy makers on foreign attitudes. Public diplomacy supports the traditional diplomatic functions of official business between governments. Whereas diplomats from the United States deal with diplomats of foreign governments, public affairs officers deal with opinion leaders such as media editors, reporters, academics, student leaders, and prominent intellectuals and cultural personalities. Rugh provides an up-close-and-personal look at how public affairs officers do their jobs, how they used innovation in their efforts to meet the challenges of the past, and how they continue to do so in the post-September 11 era.

Winner of the Christianity Today Book of the Year Award (1995) "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." So begins this award-winning intellectual history and critique of the evangelical movement by one of evangelicalism''s most respected historians. Unsparing in his indictment, Mark Noll asks why the largest single group of religious Americans—who enjoy increasing wealth, status, and political influence—have contributed so little to rigorous intellectual scholarship. While nourishing believers in the simple truths of the gospel, why have so many evangelicals failed to sustain a serious intellectual life and abandoned the universities, the arts, and other realms of "high" culture? Over twenty-five years since its original publication, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind has turned out to be prescient and perennially relevant. In a new preface, Noll lays out his ongoing personal frustrations with this situation, and in a new afterword he assesses the state of the scandal—showing how white evangelicals'' embrace of Trumpism, their deepening distrust of science, and their frequent forays into conspiratorial thinking have coexisted with surprisingly robust scholarship from many with strong evangelical connections.

Known for shedding light on the link between the courts, public policy, and the political environment, Judicial Process in America offers you a clear but comprehensive overview of today’s American judiciary. Considering the courts from every level, the authors thoroughly cover judges, lawyers, litigants, and the variables at play in judicial decision-making. The highly anticipated Eleventh Edition offers updated coverage of recent Supreme Court rulings, including same-sex marriage and health care subsidies; the effect of three women justices on the Court''s patterns of decision; and the policy-making role of state tribunals as they consider an increasing number of state programs and policies.

This work, produced under the direction of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, is intended to serve as a reference work for pharmacists, doctors and other health-care workers and to help them provide professional advice on the use of herbal remedies to members of the public.

To reach all your math students, use your brain—and theirs, too! This updated bestseller takes readers to the next level with new brain-friendly strategies backed by the latest research and even more ways to seamlessly incorporate what you learn about your students’ developing minds into your math classroom. Discover the cognitive mechanisms for learning math, explore factors that contribute to learning difficulties, and follow a four-step teaching model that relates classroom experience to real-world applications. Features include: New strategies for motivating adolescents Integration of the arts into mathematics instruction New information on how technology affects attention and memory Expanded sections on number sense and ELL instruction More than 160 new references