Britain Observed: A Russian's View focuses on the understanding of the customs, identity, political and social structure, and societal relations of the British. The book first underscores some of the misperceptions of the British of Russia, the author's country. The text also highlights the experiences of the author when he first arrived in Britain, noting the process of acclimatization that he has undergone. The manuscript emphasizes the appreciation of the author of the sceneries in England, as the sloping hills, fertile meadows, and village church spires that emerge from the hilltops are mentioned. The author also signifies that England is the kingdom of private life and says that neighbors maintain a certain degree of secrecy, and that they discourage intrusion into their private lives. The text also conveys how the author perceives the structure of the government and how Buckingham Palace influences the functions and operations of the government. The book is a fine reference for readers who want to learn the traditions, political considerations, and identity of the British.

This book highlights the experiences of castrato singers in Britain during the long eighteenth-century. These singers stood apart from traditional cultural and sexual norms of the period by nature of their altered bodies. The work investigates the fears surrounding the possibility of Catholic influence in the nation, and the ability of sensual Italian operatic music to feminize the male population and weaken the country’s leaders. The castrato as a possible romantic rival to “normal” men is also discussed, while the contributions of the castrati to cultural leadership in the areas of teaching, concert direction and social influence are examined. This book will appeal to music historians and those interested in cultural and gender studies.

Respected Christian educator, Dr. James Stobaugh, offers an entire year of high school British history curriculum in an easy to teach and comprehensive volume. British History: Observations & Assessments from Early Cultures to Today employs clear objectives and challenging assignments for the eleventh grade student without revisionist or anti-Christian perspectives. From before the Anglo-Saxon invasions to the end of an empire, British history trends, philosophies, and events are thoroughly explored. The following components are covered for the student: Critical thinking Examinations of historical theories, terms, and concepts History makers who changed the course of Britain’s history Overviews and insights into world views. Students will complete this course knowing the rise of the British empire that influenced nearly every corner of the earth! This 272-page student resource should be used in conjunction with the British History: Observations & Assessments from Early Cultures to Today for the Teacher. American History and World History are included in this comprehensive high school history curriculum for 10th, 11th, and 12th grades offered by Dr. James Stobaugh and Master Books.

Before the foundation of academies of art in London in 1758 and Philadelphia in 1805, most individuals who were to emerge as artists trained in workshops of varying degrees of relevance. Easel painters began their careers apprenticed to carriage, house, sign or ship painters, whilst a few were placed with those who made pictures. Sculptors emerged from a training as ornamental plasterers or carvers. Of the many other trades in a position to offer an appropriate background were ‘limning’, staining, engraving, surveying, chasing and die-sinking. In addition, plumbers gained the right to use oil painting and, for plasterers, the application of distemper was an extension of their trade. Central to the theme of this book is the notion that, for those who were to become either painters or sculptor, a training in a trade met their practical needs. This ‘training’ was of an altogether different nature to an ‘education’ in an art school. In the past, prospective artists were offered, by means of apprenticeships, an empirical rather than a theoretical understanding of their ultimate vocation. James Ayres provides a lively account of the inter-relationship between art and trade in the late seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries, in both Britain and North America. He demonstrates with numerous, illustrated examples, the many cross-overs in the ‘art and mystery’ of artistic training, and, to modern eyes, the sometimes incongruous relationships between the various trades that contributed to the blossoming of many artistic careers, including some of the most illustrious names of the ‘long’ eighteenth century.