Exploring the lesser-known monastic relationship between Heloise and Abelard, this study highlights Abelard's role as a musician and spiritual director. It delves into his letters of guidance to Heloise and her nuns, emphasizing the significance of liturgical music in cultivating virtues such as obedience, penitence, and humility. The work also showcases Abelard's expertise in rhetoric, poetry, and melody, offering a comprehensive view of his contributions beyond their famous love affair.
The Natural History of Selborne (1789) is the distillation of a lifetime of observing nature, and ranges far beyond White's immediate neighbourhood noted in the title. Written during a turbulent time in world history, it is a celebration of the endeavours of both human beings and animals to survive. White's main aims were to induce readers to pay more attention to the wonders around them, and to advance their knowledge of the variety of life: his success has made this book a classic, and has made his name one of the most revered among British naturalists.
Out of This Furnace is Thomas Bell’s most compelling achievement. Its story of three generations of an immigrant Slovak family -- the Dobrejcaks -- still stands as a fresh and extraordinary accomplishment. The novel begins in the mid-1880s with the naive blundering career of Djuro Kracha. It tracks his arrival from the old country as he walked from New York to White Haven, his later migration to the steel mills of Braddock, Pennsylvania, and his eventual downfall through foolish financial speculations and an extramarital affair. The second generation is represented by Kracha’s daughter, Mary, who married Mike Dobrejcak, a steel worker. Their decent lives, made desperate by the inhuman working conditions of the mills, were held together by the warm bonds of their family life, and Mike’s political idealism set an example for the children. Dobie Dobrejcak, the third generation, came of age in the 1920s determined not to be sacrificed to the mills. His involvement in the successful unionization of the steel industry climaxed a half-century struggle to establish economic justice for the workers. Out of This Furnace is a document of ethnic heritage and of a violent and cruel period in our history, but it is also a superb story. The writing is strong and forthright, and the novel builds constantly to its triumphantly human conclusion.
Published in 1789, this classic work is a must-read for anyone interested in natural history and the English countryside. The author's observations of the flora and fauna of Selborne, combined with his extensive knowledge of history and antiquities, make for a fascinating journey through time and place.
This publication describes the zoological specimens collected during the second survey expedition of the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836, which is known for the research conducted by Charles Darwin. This fourth part includes information on mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects from South America and the Galapagos Islands. It is a landmark document for its observations on evolutionary phenomena and the biodiversity of the region.
