New Releases by Ross King

From New York Times-bestselling author Ross King, the storied rise and reign of the greatest empire and most influential civilization of the ancient Western world

From New York Times–bestselling author Ross King, the storied rise and reign of the greatest empire and most influential civilization of the ancient Western world “For who is so indifferent or indolent as not to wish to know by what means the Romans succeeded in subjecting nearly the whole inhabited world to their sole government—a thing unique in history?”—Polybius, second century BCE Ancient Rome gave rise to the Roman Empire, one of history’s greatest civilizations. It flourished for roughly five hundred years and encompassed more than twenty-five modern-day countries—including such remote (from Rome) places as Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and England. It left an indelible mark on the world, shaping politics, laws, philosophy, and architecture, and giving us Roman numerals, the calendar, aqueducts, and concrete. Alongside the Greeks, the Romans laid the groundwork for Western civilization. But what was Rome, and who were the Romans? From the foundation myths of a beloved city to the decline of the Roman Empire, Ross King’s vivid narrative spans more than a thousand years of Ancient Roman history—and elucidates why the Romans still matter to us today. King introduces the emperors and warriors, the madmen and upstarts, and the artists and gladiators responsible for empire’s rise, its reign—and its ruin.

Een spannende en glamoureuze Hollywoodthriller

Het Romeinse Rijk is onmiskenbaar een van de invloedrijkste beschavingen uit de geschiedenis. Het kende een bloeitijd van maar liefst 500 jaar en besloeg een oppervlak van ruim vijfentwintig moderne landen, van Saoedi-Arabië tot Oekraïne en Engeland. Politiek, wetten, filosofie en architectuur zoals we die nu kennen vonden er hun oorsprong, evenals onze Romeinse cijfers, de kalender, aquaducten en beton. Samen met de Grieken legden de Romeinen de basis voor de westerse beschaving. Historicus Ross King neemt je mee van de stichtingsmythes van de stad tot de neergang van het rijk. Hij laat je kennismaken met de keizers en krijgers, de gekken en opstandelingen, de kunstenaars en gladiatoren die verantwoordelijk waren voor de opkomst, de heerschappij – en uiteindelijk de ondergang van het Romeinse Rijk.

「文藝復興建築之父」布魯內列斯基的傳奇故事，朝聖百花聖母大教堂前必讀的一本書。 ◎ 美國亞馬遜書店建築史類暢銷榜持續排名第一 ◎ 前世界宗教博物館館長、建築學者漢寶德專文推薦 ◎ 美國獨立書商協會Book Sense年度最佳書籍提名 ◎ 美國圖書館協會年度最佳書籍 位於佛羅倫斯的百花聖母大教堂是世界五大教堂之一，也是義大利建築的代表作，每年從世界各地前來參觀的旅客可達五百萬人次。它氣勢磅礡的圓頂是世界最大的磚造穹頂建築，而且由於建造時僅給予各工匠所需的施工圖，完整設計圖始終保密，其建成的全部工法一直無人知曉。 百年難題與脫穎而出的建築天才 西元1296年，擁有堅強經濟實力的佛羅倫斯決定要興建一座屬於自己的大教堂。為了讓教堂的規模無人能及，人民公投加上了直徑43公尺的磚造圓頂，落成後將會是世界上最大、最高的圓頂建築。然而直至1418年，卻因為設計圖中的巨大圓頂頻頻坍塌，令動工一百多年的大教堂始終無法落成。當局只好公開競圖，尋求解決之道。出人意料地，脫穎而出的作品並非出自石匠或木匠之手，而是一位沒有受過建築訓練的金匠暨鐘錶匠布魯內列斯基。 大膽的創新設計，完美打破建築的「圓頂魔咒」 布魯內列斯基提出前所未見的非正統建築方法，他摒棄了中央支撐的建造方式，以八角型為底座，設計了建造時能自我支撐的拱形結構。除此之外他也規畫了砌放磚石的排列方式、建造創意獨具的吊車和起重機，也悉心安排工人平台和路線。隨著圓頂的逐漸完工，不但破除了百年來「圓頂勢必倒塌」的迷思，也讓反對者啞口無言。百花聖母大教堂的圓頂不只仍是世界最大的磚造穹頂，而且因為布魯內列斯基對完整設計始終留一手，即使磚塊的排列方式明顯可見，但為何能在頂點完美交會，至今仍是個謎團。 看「文藝復興建築之父」的崛起，也看中世紀的庶民生活 本書細緻地重現文藝復興發源地佛羅倫斯，在十五世紀，歷經鼠疫、戰爭與政治鬥爭的歷史背景。帶你看見日後因圓頂而被尊為「文藝復興建築之父」的布魯內列斯基，如何從眾人眼中的瘋子，成為公認的天才設計師，即使遭到同儕的較勁與陷害，還是在當代建築方法完全無法應用的情況下， 打造出史無前例的經典建築結構。不僅是世界遺產百花聖母大教堂的建造過程，也是一部人性交織的複雜故事。 各界好評 「作者不只講述天才布魯內列斯基的故事，也呈現了 15 世紀義大利的艱困生活。」 ―《柯克斯書評》 「一幅展現人類工程奇蹟的拼貼畫。」 ―《紐約時報》書評

Italië was ooit het centrum van het eerste Europese wereldrijk en de bakermat van de renaissance. Italiaanse politieke en culturele invloeden zijn vervolgens wereldwijd verspreid geraakt. Het land heeft ruim 60 miljoen inwoners en verwelkomt elk jaar bijna het dubbele aantal toeristen. Geen enkel ander land heeft zoveel plekken op de unesco Werelderfgoedlijst staan: achtenvijftig, en het worden er alleen maar meer. In De kortste geschiedenis van Italië komen deze en vele andere plekken in het land tot leven in een panoramisch overzicht van zo’n 3000 jaar politiek, cultuur en geschiedenis – van Julius Caesar tot Franciscus van Assisi, van Garibaldi tot Berlusconi. Met behulp van illustraties en kaarten om belangrijke details uit zijn verhaal te ondersteunen, schildert Ross King een kleurrijk portret van een van de meest fascinerende landen ter wereld.

Discover the prodigious global influence of il bel paese in this star-studded retelling of Italy’s past—from a foremost author of historic Italy. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. “Each page brims with Bill Bryson-like trivia that is sure to delight.”—Booklist, starred review The calendar. The Senate. The university. The piano, the heliocentric model, and the pizzeria. It’s hard to imagine a world without Italian influence—and easy to assume that inventions like these could only come from a strong, stable peninsula, sure of its place in the world. In this breakneck history, bestselling author Ross King dismantles this assumption, uncovering the story of a land rife with inner uncertainty even as its influence spread. As the Italian tale unfolds, prosperity and power fluctuate like the elevation in the Dolomites. If Rome’s seven hills could talk, they might speak of the glorious time of Trajan—or bemoan the era of conquest and the Bubonic Plague that decimated Rome’s population. Episodes of wealth like the First Triumvirate and the time of the Medicis are given fresh life alongside descriptions of the Middle Ages, the early days of Venice, the invasion of Napoleon, and the long struggle for unification. Highlighting key events and personalities, King paints a vibrant portrait of a country whose political and cultural legacies enrich our lives today.

The fourth in a series that documents architectural conservation in different parts of the world, Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands: National Experiences and Practice addresses cultural heritage protection in a region which comprises one third of the Earth’s surface. In response to local needs, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands have developed some of the most important and influential techniques, legislation, doctrine and theories in cultural heritage management in the world. The evolution of the heritage protection ethos and contemporary architectural conservation practices in Australia and Oceania are discussed on a national and regional basis using ample illustrations and examples. Accomplishments in architectural conservation are discussed in their national and international contexts, with an emphasis on original developments (solutions) and contributions made to the overall field. Enriched with essays contributed from fifty-nine specialists and thought leaders in the field, this book contains an extraordinary breadth and depth of research and synthesis on the why’s and how’s of cultural heritage conservation. Its holistic approach provides an essential resource and reference for students, academics, researchers, policy makers, practitioners and all who are interested in conserving the built environment.

Discover the addictive sun-drenched Hollywood Trilogy from #1 bestseller Shari Low and ITV''s Ross King ''A gritty raunchy thriller. A page turner that lifts the lid on Hollywood!'' Catherine Zeta-Jones ‘A glam, edgy thriller, just the way I like them’ Martina Cole ‘Sex, scandal and secrets galore’ Jackie Collins This boxset contains the complete Hollywood Trilogy from Shari Low and Ross King The Rise The Catch The Fall The Rise Mirren, Zander and Davie had once been three friends from Glasgow, just trying to survive tough lives of danger and dysfunction. But on one Hollywood evening in 1993, they were on the world’s biggest stage, accepting their Oscar in front of the watching world. That night was the beginning of their careers, but it left them with a horrific shared secret. And now their past is back to bite them. The Catch At a glittering after-party on the night of the Academy Awards, author Mirren McLean celebrates her win with her childhood friends Davie Johnston and Zander Leith by her side. This is their moment in the spotlight. But by morning, there’s only darkness. A secret from their past has come back to haunt them and the shield of stardom can’t protect them from the horrors of their old lives. Someone is out to destroy them... The Fall Twenty-five years ago, three friends from Glasgow shocked the world when they became Oscar-winning legends. But now, they are all fighting for survival. A-list actor Zander Leith has finally found happiness, but Mirren McLean is one of the most powerful women in the industry until one mistake threatens to tear down everything, Davie Johnston was once the king of late-night television. Three stars, three tales of struggle and success. Now they’re discovering that in Hollywood, happy endings don’t last for ever. Sometimes they’re just the calm before the storm...

「文藝復興建築之父」布魯內列斯基的傳奇故事， 朝聖百花聖母大教堂前必讀的一本書。 ◎ 美國亞馬遜書店建築史類暢銷榜持續排名第一 ◎ 前世界宗教博物館館長、建築學者漢寶德專文推薦 ◎ 美國獨立書商協會Book Sense年度最佳書籍提名 ◎ 美國圖書館協會年度最佳書籍 位於佛羅倫斯的百花聖母大教堂是世界五大教堂之一，也是義大利建築的代表作，每年從世界各地前來參觀的旅客可達五百萬人次。它氣勢磅礡的圓頂是世界最大的磚造穹頂建築，而且由於建造時僅給予各工匠所需的施工圖，完整設計圖始終保密，其建成的全部工法一直無人知曉。 百年難題與脫穎而出的建築天才 西元1296年，擁有堅強經濟實力的佛羅倫斯決定要興建一座屬於自己的大教堂。為了讓教堂的規模無人能及，人民公投加上了直徑43公尺的磚造圓頂，落成後將會是世界上最大、最高的圓頂建築。然而直至1418年，卻因為設計圖中的巨大圓頂頻頻坍塌，令動工一百多年的大教堂始終無法落成。當局只好公開競圖，尋求解決之道。出人意料地，脫穎而出的作品並非出自石匠或木匠之手，而是一位沒有受過建築訓練的金匠暨鐘錶匠布魯內列斯基。 大膽的創新設計，完美打破建築的「圓頂魔咒」 布魯內列斯基提出前所未見的非正統建築方法，他摒棄了中央支撐的建造方式，以八角型為底座，設計了建造時能自我支撐的拱形結構。除此之外他也規畫了砌放磚石的排列方式、建造創意獨具的吊車和起重機，也悉心安排工人平台和路線。隨著圓頂的逐漸完工，不但破除了百年來「圓頂勢必倒塌」的迷思，也讓反對者啞口無言。百花聖母大教堂的圓頂不只仍是世界最大的磚造穹頂，而且因為布魯內列斯基對完整設計始終留一手，即使磚塊的排列方式明顯可見，但為何能在頂點完美交會，至今仍是個謎團。 看「文藝復興建築之父」的崛起，也看中世紀的庶民生活 本書細緻地重現文藝復興發源地佛羅倫斯，在十五世紀，歷經鼠疫、戰爭與政治鬥爭的歷史背景。帶你看見日後因圓頂而被尊為「文藝復興建築之父」的布魯內列斯基，如何從眾人眼中的瘋子，成為公認的天才設計師，即使遭到同儕的較勁與陷害，還是在當代建築方法完全無法應用的情況下， 打造出史無前例的經典建築結構。不僅是世界遺產百花聖母大教堂的建造過程，也是一部人性交織的複雜故事。 各界好評 「作者不只講述天才布魯內列斯基的故事，也呈現了 15 世紀義大利的艱困生活。」 ―《柯克斯書評》 「一幅展現人類工程奇蹟的拼貼畫。」 ―《紐約時報》書評

Dave is sad as he is the only dragon in his class who cannot fly, but he and his classmates learn that Dave has a different talent. Something that makes him just as special. Read on to find out what happens in this beautifully illustrated children’s book!

The thrilling conclusion to the gripping Hollywood series from million copy bestselling author Shari Low and TV''s Ross King. They’ve made it to the top but someone is determined to make them pay... At a glittering after-party on the night of the Academy Awards, author Mirren McLean celebrates her win with her childhood friends Davie Johnston and Zander Leith by her side. Three kids from a tough street in Glasgow, the dazzling trio rose from the ashes to become Hollywood stars with global fame and vast fortunes. This is their moment in the spotlight. But by morning, there’s only darkness. A secret from their past has come back to haunt them and the shield of stardom can’t protect them from the horrors of their old lives. Someone is out to destroy them... and unlike the movies, there’s no guarantee that the good guys will win. The grand finale to the glamourous Hollywood Thriller Trilogy for the fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Liane Moriarty and Jo Spain. Praise for The Hollywood Thriller Trilogy ‘Brilliant, a white-knuckle ride of a novel. Gripping and wildly glamorous - Tilly Bagshawe ‘It''s a real slice of Hollywood and a brilliant read’ - Gerard Butler ‘A glam, edgy thriller, just the way I like them’ - Martina Cole ‘Sex, scandal and secrets galore’ - the late Jackie Collins ''A high-stakes thriller with a dark, moving story at its core. Page-turning entertainment at its very best'' - TJ Emerson ‘It''s a thriller that’s gritty, sexy and a sensational page turner. You won''t be able to put it down. I loved it!’ - Lorraine Kelly ''I loved this Hollywood tale with deep Scottish roots. It’s dark, sinful, glittering and thrilling. An absolute adventure from the very first page''- Carmen Reid ''The mean streets of Glasgow meet the glitz of Hollywood. A riveting read!'' - Evie Hunter ''A gritty raunch thriller. A page turner that lifts the lid on Hollywood!'' - *Catherine Zeta-Jones *

«Un''ode al ruolo che i librai e le librerie hanno ancora nelle nostre vite.» The New York Times «Le conoscenze storiche di Ross King sono sbalorditive.» The Sunday Times «Una biografia spettacolare.» The Times» L’idea del Rinascimento, a Firenze, evoca immediatamente immagini di splendidi affreschi e edifici eleganti, opera dei tanti artisti e architetti che in quegli anni irripetibili popolavano la città. Ma altrettanto decisivi, sebbene meno conosciuti, furono per la storia e la cultura dei secoli a venire anche stampatori, cacciatori di manoscritti, copisti, librai, editori. Ross King dedica questo libro appassionante proprio a loro, e in particolare alla vita e alle avventure di un uomo straordinario: Vespasiano da Bisticci, «il re dei librai», capace di trasformare la propria bottega in un prestigioso luogo di incontri e discussione. In un’epoca di libri fatti a mano riuscì a produrre centinaia di volumi, copiati da scribi di talento e impreziositi dai più abili miniaturisti: vere opere d’arte destinate alle biblioteche private di papi, re e principi di tutto il continente. Ma, proprio quando Vespasiano era all’apice del suo successo, l’avvento in Europa della stampa a caratteri mobili travolse il suo impero commerciale e il mondo intellettuale che attorno a lui si riuniva, segnando l’inizio di una rivoluzione. Avvincente ricostruzione di un’epoca e riscoperta di un personaggio dimenticato, Il libraio di Firenze conquisterà tutti quanti ancora oggi avvertono il fascino di una delle più insostituibili invenzioni della nostra civiltà.

Machiavelli gilt als faszinierendster und einflussreichster Denker der italienischen Renaissance. Sein Hauptwerk »Il Principe – Der Fürst« verfasste er um 1513, und es wird noch heute als Brevier der rücksichtslosen Machtpolitik gelesen. Doch wer war Machiavelli wirklich? Ross King entwirft ein differenziertes Bild dieses ersten Realpolitikers der europäischen Geschichte und seiner Heimatstadt Florenz unter den mächtigen Medici.

The New York Times–bestselling author of Brunelleschi’s Dome captures the Renaissance spirit in this biography of “the king of the world’s booksellers.” During the Renaissance, Florence’s manuscript hunters, scribes, scholars, and booksellers blew the dust off a thousand years of history and, through the discovery and diffusion of ancient knowledge, imagined a new and enlightened world. At the heart of this activity, which bestselling author Ross King relates in his exhilarating new book, was a remarkable man: Vespasiano da Bisticci. Born in 1422, he became what a friend called “the king of the world’s booksellers.” At a time when all books were made by hand, Vespasiano produced and sold many hundreds of volumes from his bookshop, which also became a gathering spot for debate and discussion. His clients included a roll-call of popes, kings, and princes across Europe who wished to burnish their reputations by founding magnificent libraries. Vespasiano reached the summit of his powers as Europe’s most prolific merchant of knowledge when a new invention appeared: the printed book. By 1480, he was swept away by this epic technological disruption, whereby cheaply produced books reached readers who never could have afforded one of Vespasiano’s elegant manuscripts. A thrilling chronicle of intellectual ferment set against the dramatic political and religious turmoil of the era, Ross King’s brilliant The Bookseller of Florence is also an ode to books and bookmaking that charts the world-changing shift from script to print through the life of an extraordinary man long lost to history—one of the true titans of the Renaissance. “A dazzling, instructive and highly entertaining book.” —The Wall Street Journal

Do premiado autor Ross King, um incrível retrato do lendário artista Claude Monet e a história por trás de seu projeto mais memorável: as Ninfeias No começo de 1914, jornais franceses divulgavam que Claude Monet, um dos pintores mais ricos e celebrados do mundo, aos 73 anos, havia se aposentado. Sua amada esposa, Alice, e seu filho mais velho, Jean, haviam morrido. Sua visão apurada, que Cézanne chamou de "o olho mais prodigioso da história da pintura", estava ameaçada pela catarata. E, no entanto, apesar da saúde frágil, Monet voltou a pintar, em proporções mais ambiciosas do que nunca. Monet é talvez o artista mais reconhecido mundialmente. Entre suas criações mais célebres, estão as Ninfeias de seu jardim em Giverny. Ao vê-las em museus de vários países, fãs são movidos pelo poder dos pincéis de Monet para um mundo de natureza harmônica; o próprio Monet pretendia que as ninfeias proporcionassem um "refúgio de meditação pacífica". No entanto, como revela Ross King nesse magistral relato sobre o artista e a obra, esses belos quadros guardam a intensa frustração vivida por Monet com as dificuldades de capturar os efeitos da luz, da água e da cor. Também refletem os terríveis sofrimentos pessoais pelos quais o artista passou nos últimos anos de vida. Monet e a pintura das Ninfeias conta a história por trás da criação dessas obras memoráveis, enquanto os horrores da Primeira Guerra Mundial se aproximavam cada vez mais rápido de Paris e Giverny, e uma nova geração de artistas, liderada por Henri Matisse e Pablo Picasso, questionava as conquistas do Impressionismo.

"Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52" by William Ross King. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Seoul is a colossus both in its physical presence and the demand it places on any intellectual effort to understand it. How did it come to be? How can a city this immense work? Underlying its spectacle and incongruities is a city that might be described as ill at ease with its own past. The bitter rifts of Japanese colonization persist, as does the troubled aftermath of the Korean War and its divisions; the economic “Miracle on the Han” that followed is crosscut by memories of the violent dictatorship that drove it. In Seoul, author Ross King interrogates this contested history and its physical remnants, tacking between the city’s historiography and architecture, with attention to monuments, streets, and other urban spaces. The book’s structuring device is the dichotomy of erasure and memory as necessary preconditions for reinvention. King traces this phenomenon from the old dynasties to the Japanese regime and wartime destruction; he then follows the equally destructive reinvention of Korea under dictatorship to the brilliant city of the present with its extraordinary explosion of creativity and ideas—the post-1991 Hallyu, the Korean Wave. The final chapter returns to questions of forgetting and memory, but now as “conditions of possibility” for what would seem to underlie the present trajectory of this extraordinary city and culture. Seoul can be read, King suggests, in the context of the hybrid ideas that have characterized Korean cultural history. It may be their present eruption that accounts for the city of contradictions that confronts the contemporary observer and that most extraordinary of Korean phenomena: the rise of an alternative, virtual world, eclipsing both city and nation. Has the very idea of Korea been reinvented even as the weakly defined nation-state slips away?

De waterlelieschilderijen van Claude Monet behoren tot de meest geliefde kunstwerken van de vorige eeuw. Al zijn ze nog zo bekend, slechts weinigen weten dat deze rustgevende afbeeldingen werden geschilderd in een periode vol onrust en droefheid van de kunstenaar. Vlak na elkaar brak de Eerste Wereldoorlog uit, verloor Monet zijn vrouw en een zoon en begon hij, inmiddels 71 jaar, blind te worden. Tot overmaat van ramp werd zijn reputatie onder vuur genomen door een nieuwe generatie kunstenaars - onder aanvoering van Picasso en Matisse - die openlijk afrekende met de impressionisten. Hoewel Monet vocht tegen zelftwijfel, depressie en ouderdom, schilderde hij op gigantische doeken zijn waterlelies, in de hoop dat dit hem weer energie zou geven. Met hulp van niet eerder ontdekte brieven, memoires en ander bronmateriaal en door zich te concentreren op de dramatische omstandigheden waaronder Monet de waterlelies schilderde, schetst Ross King een aangrijpend en origineel portret van de nadagen van deze wereldberoemde schilder.

Heritage and Identity in Contemporary Thailand explores the intersections of memory, place, power and tourism in the production of Thai heritage and identity. The author shows that underlying officially promulgated ideas is a much deeper, richer and sometimes darker substratum of memories and practices that both undermine and enrich conventional ideas of Thailand as a Kingdom, a nation and a culture. The book views Thai culture and its heritage from a variety of perspectives that are derived from the work of Thai scholars but refracted through a more Western epistemology and its attendant critical theory. Through a juxtaposition of Thai and Western critical scholarship, it highlights key elements of Thai identity or, more accurately, the diversity of Thai identities. In the process, the book raises questions about both Thai and Western thinking about knowledge and its production.

From bestselling author Ross King, a brilliant portrait of the legendary artist and the story of his most memorable achievement. Claude Monet is perhaps the world''s most beloved artist, and among all his creations, the paintings of the water lilies in his garden at Giverny are most famous. Monet intended the water lilies to provide "an asylum of peaceful meditation." Yet, as Ross King reveals in his magisterial chronicle of both artist and masterpiece, these beautiful canvases (featured in black and white images throughout, as well as a 16-pg color insert) belie the intense frustration Monet experienced in trying to capture the fugitive effects of light, water, and color. They also reflect the terrible personal torments Monet suffered in the last dozen years of his life. Mad Enchantment tells the full story behind the creation of the Water Lilies, as the horrors of World War I came ever closer to Paris and Giverny and a new generation of younger artists, led by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, were challenging the achievements of Impressionism. By early 1914, French newspapers were reporting that Monet, by then seventy-three, had retired his brushes. He had lost his beloved wife, Alice, and his eldest son, Jean. His famously acute vision--what Paul Cezanne called “the most prodigious eye in the history of painting”--was threatened by cataracts. And yet, despite ill health, self-doubt, and advancing age, Monet began painting again on a more ambitious scale than ever before. Linking great artistic achievement to the personal and historical dramas unfolding around it, Ross King presents the most intimate and revealing portrait of an iconic figure in world culture.

Per i viaggiatori che si fermavano sul bordo della strada a sbirciare i fiori o che allungavano il collo dai finestrini del treno per scorgere un angolo dello stagno, il giardino di Monet a Giverny era una visione paradisiaca. "Un Paradiso dove, all''ombra di alcuni alberi, i fiori variopinti giocano sul prato illuminati dal sole che filtra a chiazze tra le fronde mosse dalla brezza" scrisse un giornalista. Eppure quel luogo ameno era lo stesso in cui Monet, lottando con le sue tele, contemplava quello che il suo primo critico definì "il nulla insondabile": le ninfee - "silenti e misteriose più di ogni altro fiore" - ossessione decennale di un artista che inseguiva il sogno della forma e del colore fin quasi all''autodistruzione. "Ho intrapreso qualcosa di impossibile. Non dormo più per colpa loro", confessò Monet al suo amico Georges Clemenceau. Ma dietro ogni fiore c''è forse una donna? Una donna inaccessibile, proibita? Ross King ricostruisce lo scenario che fa da sfondo al "folle incantamento" di Monet e alla realizzazione di questi dipinti sfuggenti e misteriosi, in cui - forse più che in ogni altra opera dell''impressionismo - possiamo scorgere la scintilla della modernità.

This is a comprehensive and detailed introductory Korean textbook and language learning package. Korean is now the 15th most popular language taught at American universities. This new edition of Elementary Korean, the most comprehensive and detailed introductory Korean textbook available, offers beginning learners of Korean everything they need to learn the language effectively. Perfect for a first-year university-level course use or for the independent language learner. No prior knowledge of the language is necessary. The new format, now with dozens of illustrations, presents Korean vocabulary and Korean grammar in an accessible and understandable manner while extensive conversations and exercises help to reinforce the Korean language and build reading and listening comprehension. This edition includes: Downloadable audio and a dedicated website. Rich and highly nuanced examples with brand new illustrations. Detailed but on–technical grammar notes, ample writing exercises with an accompanying answer key. Detailed examples of authentic dialogue. Highly technical grammar notes. Plenty of writing practice. Dialogues, reading texts, and written exercises are in Hangul, the Korean alphabet, so students are quickly able to read and write authentic Korean. Layered lessons are designed to build on each other, making Korean easy to learn from the most popular introductory Korean language textbook available. Included is downloadable audio that helps learners to speak like a native and a web-based practice component through the University of British Columbia that can help students to learn Korean even beyond the pages of this book. According to the Modern Language Association, enrollment in Korean in American universities is growing rapidly. Available separately is the companion Elementary Korean Workbook. This helpful workbook will assist you in practicing and polishing your Korean language skills. Each lesson supplements the corresponding lesson in the textbook. There are ten activities per lesson, offering a range of exercises and practice opportunities to enable you to achieve proficiency in everyday, conversational Korean.