In his early years, Napoleon was a Corsican nationalist who considered the French to be oppressors. Nevertheless, he was sent to military academies in France, and when he graduated in 1785, at the age of 16, he became a second lieutenant in the French army. Napoleon's military career presents a surprising paradox. His genius at tactical manoeuvring was dazzling, and if he were to be judged only by that, he might perhaps be considered the greatest general of all time. In the field of grand strategy, however, he was prone to making gross blunders, such as the invasion of Egypt and Russia, and, because of his eventual defeat in 1815, all of his foreign conquests proved ephemeral. This second volume of Robert Asprey's biography takes Napoleon from the zenith of his powers to their nadir, and places Bonaparte in his full military context.

Laura Chase's older sister Iris, married at eighteen to a politically prominent industrialist but now poor and eighty-two, is living in Port Ticonderoga, a town dominated by their once-prosperous family before the First War. While coping with her unreliable body, Iris reflects on her far from exemplary life, in particular the events surrounding her sister's tragic death. Chief among these was the publication of The Blind Assassin, a novel which earned the dead Laura Chase not only notoriety but also a devoted cult following. Sexually explicit for its time, The Blind Assassin describes a risky affair in the turbulent thirties between a wealthy young woman and a man on the run. During their secret meetings in rented rooms, the lovers concoct a pulp fantasy set on Planet Zycron. As the invented story twists through love and sacrifice and betrayal, so does the real one; while events in both move closer to war and catastrophe. By turns lyrical, outrageous, formidable, compelling and funny, this is a novel filled with deep humour and dark drama.

One of the major political figures of his time, Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) served in the court of Elizabeth I and ultimately became Lord Chancellor under James I in 1617. A scholar, wit, lawyer and statesman, he wrote widely on politics, philosophy and science - declaring early in his career that 'I have taken all knowledge as my province'. In this, his most famous work, he considers a diverse range of subjects, such as death and marriage, ambition and atheism, in prose that is vibrant and rich in Renaissance learning. Bacon believed that rhetoric - the force of eloquence and persuasion - could lead the mind to the pure light of reason, and his own rhetorical genius is nowhere better expressed than in these vivid essays.

A mesmerizing paean to the interconnectedness of science, art, and nature from one of the world's most innovative architects and structural engineers.

The genius of Cecil Balmond is behind some of the world's most exciting architectural endeavors. From Anish Kapoor's gigantic sculpture at the Tate Modern to Rem Koolhaas' CCTV buildings in Beijing, Balmond is the unsung hero of modern architecture. In Element, his third book, he offers a glimpse into his creative process.

Following a loose yet logical configuration, Element uses pattern, mathematical reasoning, and advanced technology to create an unconventional exploration of design. Balmond's narrative unfolds in three conceptual chapters—elements, pattern, nature—linked by two conceptual bridges—digital "tectonics" and numbers. Each of these aspects relates to each other in a number of ways, leading to a series of narratives, the correlations of which recall the archetypal Chinese wheel. The book is a highly engrossing journey of the world around us seen from different, multiple angles.

Aimed at pedants to know-it-alls, as well as those simply wishing to 'get it right', this book will appeal to the modern passion for factual accuracy. The ultimate book to settle any pub argument, it exposes a wide range of facts that we have always believed to be true, but which are, in fact, completely false. It also covers a broad spectrum of subjects in a highly entertaining, yet informative, style. The modern age has long been awash with facts and figures relating to a wealth of different subjects, but how many of these snippets of information can be verified as accurate? Which examples of trivia can be proven to be nothing more than falsehoods or fabrications? Covering a wide range of diverse topics, from history to science, the arts, the animal kingdom, medicine, the human body, and food and drink, and presenting its well-researched facts in a highly accessible and entertaining manner, this intriguing book sets the record straight by exposing a great many of the common myths and fallacies that have become entrenched in everyday thought.

An introduction to the thinking of the French intellectual, Roland Barthes, as applied to such diverse topics as Gide, Garbo, striptease, photography and the Eiffel Tower. The pieces in this collection were written over a period of three decades.

Published within the "Signature" Series, this series of performing editions of standard keyboard works includes informative introductions and performance notes.

Swedish man of letters Lars Bergquist explains the often enigmatic but always fascinating dream journal kept by Emanuel Swedenborg from 1743 to 1744. A scientist, Swedenborg meticulously recorded his dreams and visions, adding interpretations that foreshadowed modern dream analysis. After an Easter vision in 1745, Swedenborg abandoned his scientific studies and dedicated his life to studying the inner meaning of Sacred Scripture. In his diary, he reveals his daily life and the reflections that are a key to understanding his later spiritual works.

"The book enables us to follow Swedenborg...from dismal gloom to inner splendor."
—Gunnar Bronerg, Upsala Nya Tidning