Best Selling Books by John S

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Pause and look around: you will see that you are surrounded by glass. It reflects and refracts light through your windows; it encircles a glowing filament above you; it''s in a mirror hanging on the wall; it lies shattered in a dented corner of an iPhone-you''re drinking water out of a pint glass. Taking up a most common object, rarely considered because assumed to be transparent, John Garrison draws evocative connections between historical depictions of glass and emerging visions that see it as holding a unique promise for new forms of interaction. Grounded in everyday examples, this book offers a series of surprising insights into how we increasingly find ourselves living in a world made of glass. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Alexander Severus'' is full of controversy and contradictions. He came to the throne through the brutal murder of his cousin, Elagabalus, and was ultimately assassinated himself. The years between were filled with regular uprisings and rebellions, court intrigue (the Praetorian Guard slew their commander at the Emperor''s feet) and foreign invasion. Yet the ancient sources generally present his reign as a golden age of just government, prosperity and religious tolerance Not yet fourteen when he became emperor, Alexander was dominated by his mother, Julia Mammaea and advisors like the historian, Cassius Dio. In the military field, he successfully checked the aggressive Sassanid Persians but some sources see his Persian campaign as a costly failure marked by mutiny and reverses that weakened the army. When Germanic and Sarmatian tribes crossed the Rhine and Danube frontiers in 234, Alexander took the field against them but when he attempted to negotiate to buy time, his soldiers perceived him as weak, assassinated him and replaced him with the soldier Maximinus Thrax. John McHugh reassesses this fascinating emperor in detail.

First Published in 1987 The Yezidis: A Study in Survival traces the origin of Yezidi community''s religion, describes the discovery of the people by Western travellers in the early nineteenth century and details the Yezidi community''s traumatic history and their status in the 80s. The Yezidi religious group is spread out over Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and erstwhile USSR and have retained their identity for over 500 years. The Yezidi''s believe that Lucifer, the fallen angel, has been forgiven by God and reinstated as chief angel: their history is, like their faith, characterized by dignity and survival in the face of great odds. Chapters also cover Sultan Abdul Hamid''s cruel but vain efforts to force the Yezidis to embrace Islam, leading to the emergence of Mayan Khatun, a strong-willed Yezidi princess who ruled the community from 1913-1958. They include vivid account of her rivalry with her brother Ismail and the ill-fated marriage between her son and his daughter. The final chapter describes the community in Soviet Armenia and Georgia. This book is a must read for students of Middle East studies and Middle East history.

William Austin Burt, son of Alvin Burt and Wealthy Austin, was born in 1792 in Petersham, Massachusetts. He married Phebe Cole in 1813 in New York. They moved to Michigan in 1824. He died in 1858 in Detroit, Michigan.

"[Sledge] rightfully celebrates and affirms the southern sea''s enriching past and gives readers reason to want for its wholesome and meaningful future." —Jack E. Davis, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea The Gulf of Mexico presents a compelling, salt-streaked narrative of the earth''s tenth largest body of water. In this beautifully written and illustrated volume, John S. Sledge explores the people, ships, and cities that have made the Gulf''s human history and culture so rich. Many famous figures who sailed the Gulf''s viridian waters are highlighted, including Ponce de León, Robert Cavelier de La Salle, Francis Drake, Elizabeth Agassiz, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Dwight Sigsbee at the helm of the doomed Maine. Gulf events of global historical importance are detailed, such as the only defeat of armed and armored steamships by wooden sailing vessels, the first accurate deep-sea survey and bathymetric map of any ocean basin, the development of shipping containers by a former truck driver frustrated with antiquated loading practices, and the worst environmental disaster in American annals. Occasionally shifting focus ashore, Sledge explains how people representing a gumbo of ethnicities built some of the world''s most exotic cities—Havana, way station for conquistadores and treasure-filled galleons; New Orleans, the Big Easy, famous for its beautiful French Quarter, Mardi Gras, and relaxed morals; and oft-besieged Veracruz, Mexico''s oldest city, founded in 1519 by Hernán Cortés. In the modern era the Gulf has become critical to energy production, fisheries, tourism, and international trade, even as it is threatened by pollution and climate change. The Gulf of Mexico is a work of verve and sweep that illuminates both the risks of life on the water and the riches that come from its bounty.

In The Spanish American Novel, John S. Brushwood analyzes the twentieth-century Spanish American novel as an artistic expression of social reality. In relating the generic history of the novel to extraliterary events in Spanish America, he shows how twentieth-century fiction sets forth the essence of such phenomena as the first Perón regime, the Mexican Revolution, the Che Guevara legend, indigenismo, and the strongman political type. In essence, he views the novel as art rather than as document, but not as art alienated from society. The discussion is organized chronologically, opening with the turn of the century and focusing on novels from 1900 to 1915 that exemplify various aspects of the nineteenth-century literary inheritance. Brushwood then highlights the avant-garde fiction (influenced by Proust and Joyce) of the 1920s as a precursory movement to the “new” Latin American novel, a phenomenon that came into its own during the 1940s. He then examines the “boom” in Spanish American fiction, the period of extensive international recognition of certain works, which he dates from 1962 or 1963. In each era considered, the development of the novel is placed in dual perspective. One view—that of particularly significant novels in light of others published during the same year—is a cross section of the genre at one particular moment. The second view—that of a panorama of novels published in intervals between significant moments in the history of the novel—is more general and selective in the number of books discussed. Combining the historical with the analytical approach, the author proposes that the experience of a novel in which reality has been transformed into art is essential to our understanding of that reality.

“In writing this book, I have kept the Methodist Church in view. My eyes have been fixed on John Wesley and the England in which his greatest work was done. We can never understand the revival of religion which glorified the eighteenth century until we see Wesley as he was, and get rid of the false impressions created by writers who have had an imperfect acquaintance with him and his evangelistic work.” — From the Preface

John S. Lewis, a planetary scientist, details the recent scientific study which suggests that massive solid bodies from space pose a very real threat to our planet and explores the implications for the future of life on Earth.

Couples and families face daunting challenges as they cope with serious illness and disability. This book gives clinicians a roadmap for helping affected individuals and their loved ones live well with a wide range of child, adult, and later-life conditions. John S. Rolland describes ways to intervene with emerging challenges over the course of long-term or life-threatening disorders. Using vivid case examples, he illustrates how clinicians can help families harness their strengths for positive adaptation and relational growth. Rolland''s integrated systemic approach is useful for preventive screening, consultations, brief counseling, more intensive therapy, and multifamily groups, across health care settings and disciplines. This book significantly advances the clinical utility of Rolland?s earlier landmark volume, Families, Illness, and Disability.

John S. Haller,Jr., provides the first modern history of the Eclectic school of American sectarian medicine. The Eclectic school (sometimes called the "American School") flourished in the mid-nineteenth century when the art and science of medicine was undergoing a profound crisis of faith. At the heart of the crisis was a disillusionment with the traditional therapeutics of the day and an intense questioning of the principles and philosophy upon which medicine had been built. Many American physicians and their patients felt that medicine had lost the ability to cure. The Eclectics surmounted the crisis by forging a therapeutics based on herbal remedies and an empirical approach to disease, a system independent of the influence of European practices. Although rejected by the Regulars (adherents of mainstream medicine), the Eclectics imitated their magisterial manner, establishing two dozen colleges and more than sixty-five journals to proclaim the wisdom of their theory. Central to the story of Eclecticism is that of the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, the "mother institute" of reform medical colleges. Organized in 1845, the school was to exist for ninety-four years before closing in 1939. Throughout much of their history, the Eclectic medical schools provided an avenue into the medical profession for men and women who lacked the financial and educational opportunities the Regular schools required, siding with Professor Martyn Paine of the Medical Department of New York University, who, in 1846, had accused the newly formed American Medical Association of playing aristocratic politics behind a masquerade of curriculum reform. Eventually, though, they grudgingly followed the lead of the Regulars by changing their curriculum and tightening admission standards. By the late nineteenth century, the Eclectics found themselves in the backwaters of modern medicine. Unable to break away from their botanic bias and ill-equipped to support the implications of germ theory, the financial costs of salaried faculty and staff, and the research implications of laboratory science, the Eclectics were pushed aside by the rush of modern academic medicine.

An outstanding editing of Herodotus for boys and girls. Herodotus is the father of history and his account of ancient history is enthralling.

During the course of the 17th century, the dramatic arts reached a pinnacle of development in France; but despite the volumes devoted to the literature and theatre of the ancien régime, historians have largely neglected the importance of music and dance. This study defines the musical practices of comedy, tragicomedy, tragedy, and mythological and non-mythological pastoral drama, from the arrival of the first repertory companies in Paris until the establishment of the Comédie-Française. The dynamic interaction of the performing arts in primarily spoken theatre, cross-fertilized by ballet de cour and imported Italian opera, gave rise to a set of musical conventions that later informed the pastorale en musique and early French pastoral opera. The performance history of four comédies-ballets by Molière, Lully, and Charpentier leads to a discussion of the musical and balletic performance practices of Molière''s theatre and the interconnections between Molière''s last comédie-ballet, Le Malade imaginaire, and Lully''s first opera, Les Festes de l''Amour et de Bacchus.

This issue, we have original mysteries by Albert Tucher (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and James Blakey, plus a modern tale by SJ Rozan (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). For our mystery novel, we have a Golden Age tale set in the Canadian Northwest Territories, The Long Arm of the Mounted, by James French Dorrance. Rounding out the section is a solve-it-yourself puzzler by Hal Charles. We also have one of Norman Spinrad’s occasional “Norman Spinrad at Large” columns—wherein he talks about when (not if) we will find life elsewhere in the universe. On the science fiction & fantasy front, we have an original collaboration by Paul Di Filippo & Claudio Chillemi, a tale by British fantasy master John S. Glasby, and classic space opera by Nelson Bond (“Honeymoon in Bedlam,” which he later rewrote to feature Lancelot Biggs for his novel Lancelot Biggs: Spaceman), plus tales by William Campbell Gault and Edmond Hamilton. Fun stuff! Here’s the complete lineup— Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Bottle Blonde,” by Albert Tucher [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Fatal Founders Day,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “New Day Newark,” by SJ Rozan [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Five People You Meet in Atlantic City,” by James Blakey [short story] The Long Arm of the Mounted, by James French Dorrance [novel] Nonfiction: “Norman Spinrad at Large: Life As We Don’t Know It?” by Norman Spinrad Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Maximinus Thrax and the Gates of Chaos,” by Paul Di Filippo and Claudio Chillemi [short story] “When Darkness Falls,” by John S. Glasby [short story] “Honeymoon in Bedlam,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story] [short story] “The Woman Obsession,” by William Campbell Gault [short story] The Invisible Master, by Edmond Hamilton [short novel]

The Politics of the Earth provides an excellent and accessible introduction to thinking about the environment by looking at the way people use language on environmental issues. John Dryzek analyzes the various approaches which have dominated environmental issues over the last three decades, and which are likely to be influential in the future. These perspectives range from faith in unlimited economic growth to radical green politics. The history, interplay, and impact of these perspectives are analyzed and assessed, concluding with a plea for ecological democracy.

Aldous Huxley''s 1932 book Brave New World foresees a world in which technological advances have obliterated morality and freedom. John Feinberg and Paul Feinberg, in the first edition of Ethics for a Brave New World, noted how Huxley landed frighteningly close to the truth. Their book responded to ethical crises such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and genetic engineering by looking to Scripture for principles to guide us through the moral quagmires of our time. Now dramatically updated and expanded, this edition of Ethics for a Brave New World seeks to maintain the relevance, rigorous scholarship, and biblical faithfulness of the first edition. While many of the topics covered in the book remain the same, John Feinberg has revised each chapter to keep it current with contemporary trends and to respond to the most recent scholarship. There is a new chapter on stem cell research and greatly expanded material on issues such as homosexuality and genetic engineering. This important resource will be a valuable guide for students and those seeking answers to ethical dilemmas.

Dr. Perloff, the founding father of the field of adult congenital heart disease, presents a decade''s worth of research and clinical data in the completely redefined 3rd edition to bring you the most current information. With advances in diagnosis and treatment in children, more and more of those with CHD survive well into adulthood. Expert contributors in various fields offer a multi-disciplinary, multi-system approach to treatment so you get comprehensive coverage on all aspects of the subspecialty, including basic unoperated malformations, medical and surgical perspectives, postoperative residue, and sequelae. As someone who treats these patients, you need to be ready to provide the continual care they require. Conveys a multidisciplinary, multi-system approach to the lifelong care of adult CHD patients to put treatment in a broader context. Presents information in a consistent, logical style so the information you need is easy to find and apply. Supplements the text with 600 clear conceptual illustrations to clarify difficult concepts. Features completely rewritten chapters to include the latest developments in the field-such as major advances in surgical and interventional techniques-and the various needs of patients with adult CHD. Incorporates recently published trials such as those involving cyanotic CHD and atherogenesis, coronary microcirculation, and pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia to supplement the chapter on cyanotic CHD. Emphasizes advances in imaging in a new section-edited by an expert-that covers echocardiography as well as specialized imaging techniques. Illustrates the full range of advances in the field with 600 images that reflect the latest progress. Includes new chapters-Global Scope of ACHD; Cardiac Transplantation; Electrophysiologic Abnormalities in Unoperated Patients and Residue and Sequelae After Cardiac Surgery-to provide you with the latest information on the growth of the subspecialty and its effect on treatment. Presents revisions by a new authorship of experts in infectious disease, genetics and epidemiology, sports medicine, neurology, cardiac surgery, cardiac anesthesiology, and more.

The Regimental Records of the British Army offers a comprehensive exploration into the storied past of one of the world''s most renowned military institutions. This anthology skillfully blends historical narrative with insightful analysis, chronicling the evolution of the British Army through meticulously curated documents and vivid accounts of regimental histories. The collection stands out for its diversity in literary styles, from anecdotal retellings of notable battles to incisive commentaries on military strategy and structure. The anthology takes readers on a journey through time, illuminating how the British Army has played a pivotal role in shaping historical and geopolitical landscapes. Among the most notable pieces are those that bring to life the visceral experiences of soldiers, offering a poignant look at the human element behind military campaigns. Edited with expertise by John Stephen Farmer and John S. Farmer, the collection assembles voices from various historical periods, each contributing a unique perspective on military life and strategy. The editors, known for their previous scholarly contributions, adeptly bridge the past and present, highlighting the continuity and change within the British Army. Through collaboration with historians and military experts, the anthology aligns with historical movements such as colonial expansions and world wars, painting a vivid picture of the army''s enduring legacy and evolution. The gathering of such diverse voices provides a nuanced understanding of military history and its broader implications. For readers intrigued by military history, The Regimental Records of the British Army presents an invaluable resource for exploring the complexities and transformations of British military forces. This collection affords an unparalleled opportunity to delve into an array of perspectives, offering insightful analysis and narration that will captivate both enthusiasts and scholars. It provides not just a historical account but also a dialogue that encourages contemplation on the multifaceted nature of military heritage. The anthology invites readers to engage with the power of collective narratives, gaining educational insights into the myriad aspects of regimental life and its impact on modern history.

Many contemporary theologians claim that the classical picture of God painted by Augustine and Aquinas is both outmoded and unbiblical. But rather than abandoning the traditional view completely, John Feinberg seeks a reconstructed model—one that reflects the ongoing advances in human understanding of God''s revelation while recognizing the unchanging nature of God and His Word. Feinberg begins by exploring the contemporary concepts of God, particularly the openness and process views, and then studies God''s being, nature, and acts—all to articulate a mediating understanding of God not just as the King, but the King who cares! Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.