Oxford University Press

Robert Kraut turns a critical eye upon aspects of the artworld, articulating problems, principles, and norms implicit in the actual practices of artistic creation, interpretation, evaluation, and commodification. Topics include emotional expression, interpretation and objectivity, the relevance of jazz to aesthetics, and the goals of ontology....

In the most ambitious and ground-breaking survey of the early middle ages ever written, Chris Wickham moves away from the fragmentary tendency to view the history of the period as a collection of regional histories, roughly corresponding to the land-areas of modern nation states. Instead he provides a comparative history of the years 400-800...

The private life of atomsThrough an innovative combination of image and text, Peter Atkins explains the        processes involved in chemical reactions. He introduces the 'tool kit' of basic        reactions, such as precipitation, corrosion, and catalysis, and shows how these        building blocks are brought together in more complex processes...

Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be practised and understood        in a multitude of ways; indeed, mathematical ideas themselves are far from being        fixed, but are adapted and changed by their passage across periods and cultures. In        this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical...

Rasselas and his companions leave the 'happy valley' in search of 'the choice of life'. Johnson's philosophical tale considers such things as the nature of poetry, the stability of reason, the immortality of the soul, and the pursuit of happiness. This new edition relates the novel to Johnson's life and the political and social context....

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