In The Ecological Thought, eco-philosopher Timothy Morton has argued for the inclusion of “dark ecology” in our thinking about nature. Dark ecology, he argues, puts hesitation, uncertainty, irony, and thoughtfulness back into ecological thinking.” The ecological thought, he says, should include “negativity and irony, ugliness and horror.” Focusing on this concept of “dark ecology” and its invitation to add an anti-pastoral perspective to ecocriticism, this collection of essays on American literature and culture offers examples of how a vision of nature’s darker side can create a fuller understanding of humanity’s relation to nature. Included are essays on canonical American literature, on new voices in American literature, and on non-print American media. This is the first collection of essays applying the “dark ecology” principle to American literature.

"An accomplished architect and urbanist goes back to the roots of what makes cities attractive and livable, demonstrating how we can restore function and beauty to our urban spaces for the long term. Nearly everything we treasure in the worldÕs most beautiful cities was built over a century ago. Cities like Prague, Paris, and Lisbon draw millions of visitors from around the world because of their exquisite architecture, walkable neighborhoods, and human scale. Yet a great deal of the knowledge and practice behind successful city planning has been abandoned over the last hundred yearsÑnot because of traffic, population growth, or other practical hurdles, but because of ill-considered theories emerging from Modernism and reactions to it. The errors of urban design over the last century are too great not to question. The solutions being offered todayÑsustainability, walkability, smart and green technologiesÑhint at what has been lost and what may be regained, but they remain piecemeal and superficial. In The Art of Classic Planning, architect and planner Nir Haim Buras documents and extends the time-tested and holistic practices that held sway before the reign of Modernism. With hundreds of full-color illustrations and photographs that will captivate architects, planners, administrators, and developers, The Art of Classic Planning restores and revitalizes the foundations of urban planning. Inspired by venerable cities like Kyoto, Vienna, and Venice, and by the great successes of LÕEnfantÕs Washington, HaussmannÕs Paris, and BurnhamÕs Chicago, Buras combines theory and a host of examples to arrive at clear guidelines for best practices in classic planning for todayÕs world. The Art of Classic Planning celebrates the enduring principles of urban design and invites us to return to building beautiful cities."

Pauranic Prana-aesthetics, a finer shade different from that of vitalistic aesthetics )the earlier having breathing-rhythm of Ksaya-Vrddhi --diminuation and augmentation--other than the latter`s emphasis only on the rhythm of augmentation), has been delineated in this study with examples from the world`s two of the best art-monuments: Ajanta (India), now not remaining unknown even to the most casual connoisseur, and Sopocani (Yugoslavia), the most significant and monumentally beautiful work of Byzantine art. Tracing Prana-aesthetics as the aesthetics of inner-light coded in the creeper-motif by the artists of Ajanta, this work emphasises decoding of the creeper-motif by Byzantine artists culminating into the frescoes of Sopocani done in Hellenistic-Byzantine aesthetics beatifield by Hesycast meditation to which that of Buddhists was not unknown. Comparisons of various determinant aspects, aesthetics and artistic denominators, and constraints not allowing similar consummation are properly investigated to substantiate the thesis that Prana-aesthetics transfigures at Ajanta but transubstantiates at Sopocani. The significance of the anabolic aspects of this aesthetics is highlighted especially as a way out from the reductivistic tendencies of the present day visual-arts straining them upto the stage of catabolic dissolution.

The seventeenth century heralded a golden age of exploration, as intrepid travelers sailed around the world to gain firsthand knowledge of previously unknown continents. These explorers also collected the world’s most beautiful flora, and often their findings were recorded for posterity by talented professional artists. The Golden Age of Botanical Art tells the story of these exciting plant-hunting journeys and marries it with full-color reproductions of the stunning artwork they produced. Covering work through the nineteenth century, this lavishly illustrated book offers readers a look at 250 rare or unpublished images by some of the world’s most important botanical artists. Truly global in its scope, The Golden Age of Botanical Art features work by artists from Europe, China, and India, recording plants from places as disparate as Africa and South America. Martyn Rix has compiled the stories and art not only of well-known figures—such as Leonardo da Vinci and the artists of Empress Josephine Bonaparte—but also of those adventurous botanists and painters whose names and work have been forgotten. A celebration of both extraordinarily beautiful plant life and the globe-trotting men and women who found and recorded it, The Golden Age of Botanical Art will enchant gardeners and art lovers alike.

With a history that likely dates back to the dawn of human civilization more than 10,000 years ago, and a record that includes the domestication and selective breeding of plants and animals, the harnessing of fermentation process for bread, cheese, and brewage production, and the development of vaccines against infectious diseases, biotechnology has acquired a molecular focus during the 20th century, particularly following the resolution of DNA double helix in 1953, and the publication of DNA cloning protocol in 1973, and transformed our concepts and practices in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention, pharmaceutical and industrial manufacturing, animal and plant industry, and food processing. While molecular biotechnology offers unlimited opportunities for improving human health and well-being, animal welfare, agricultural innovation and environmental conservation, a dearth of high quality books that have the clarity of laboratory manuals without distractive procedural details and the thoroughness of well-conversed textbooks appears to dampen the enthusiasm of aspiring students. In attempt to fill this glaring gap, Handbook of Molecular Biotechnology includes four sections, with the first three presenting in-depth coverage on DNA, RNA and protein technologies, and the fourth highlighting their utility in biotechnology. Recognizing the importance of logical reasoning and experimental verification over direct observation and simple description in biotechnological research and development, the Introduction provides pertinent discussions on key strategies (i.e., be first, be better, and be different), effective thinking (lateral, parallel, causal, reverse, and random), and experimental execution, which have proven invaluable in helping advance research projects, evaluate and prepare research reports, and enhance other scientific endeavors. Key features Presents state-of-the-art reviews on DNA, RNA and protein technologies and their biotechnological applications Discusses key strategies, effective thinking, and experimental execution for scientific research and development Fills the gap left by detailed-ridden laboratory manuals and insight-lacking standard textbooks Includes expert contributions from international scientists at the forefront of molecular biotechnology research and development Written by international scientists at the forefront of molecular biotechnology research and development, chapters in this volume cover the histories, principles, and applications of individual techniques/technologies, and constitute stand-alone, yet interlinked lectures that strive to educate as well as to entertain. Besides providing an informative textbook for tertiary students in molecular biotechnology and related fields, this volume serves as an indispensable roadmap for novice scientists in their efforts to acquire innovative skills and establish solid track records in molecular biotechnology, and offers a contemporary reference for scholars, educators, and policymakers wishing to keep in touch with recent developments in molecular biotechnology.

Claude Monet (1840-1926) was one of the first artists to move his studio out into the open air, creating works which continue to fascinate and inspire us today as much as they did his contemporaries. One of the founding fathers of Impressionist art, Monet's works consistently reflect the artist's profound love of nature. Many of his paintings were directly inspired by the gardens that played such an important role in his life--the garden at his house in S¿vres in the 1860s, those at his two homes in Argenteuil in the 1870s, followed by a garden at his estate in Vatheuil. Yet the most famous of Monet's gardens was the expansive park in Giverny, which inspired his masterful handling of light and color for more than thirty years and provided motifs for hundreds of individual paintings and series that remain immensely popular today--among them the masterpieces of his Water-Lilies series. This magnificent volume of full-page color plates is devoted to this central theme in the work of the French artist. It presents landscapes, still lifes, and portraits of people in natural settings from nearly all of Monet's creative periods--from his early Impressionist paintings of the 1870s to the Grandes Dacorations of the early 1900s. Also included are photographs of Monet's gardens, diagrammatic recreations of these spaces (based on the artist's paintings), several bills of delivery and planting instructions from horticulturalists.

The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is your indispensable guide to this beautiful part of the world. The fully updated guide includes unique cutaways, floor plans, and reconstructions of the must-see sites, plus street-by-street maps of all the fascinating cities and towns. The uniquely visual DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will help you to discover everything region-by-region, from local festivals and markets to day trips around the countryside. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: showing you what others only tell you.

Days of Vintage, Years of Vision is the living, breathing story of one of the most important periods in American history. This three-volume series records the development of the State of California from its admission into the Union in 1850 to the turn of the 20th Century. It is a family narrative that chronicles both the personal and political lives of those who settled the southern section to bring in railroads, build harbors, and establish a world commercial centre that would one day send favorite sons to the White House. The author skillfully presents this family within the context of the times of not only the State, but the country and the world. The story evolves with the lives of Benjamin D. Wilson and his sons-in-law, George Smith Patton, Sr. father of the famous Generaland James De Barth Shorb, whose San Marino Ranchonce the queen property of Southern Californiais today the site of the Huntington Library, Art Galleries and Botanical Gardens. Volume I narrates the Los Angeles arrival of Wilson in 1841, a former Indian trader who became the new communitys first elected mayor and was twice-elected State Senator. Quiet, unassuming, committed to honor and duty, Wilson established a harbor, railroad facilities, a university and other advancements to secure his citys place on the world map as a cultural and commercial center. Mt. Wilson was named for him in appreciation and recognition of all that he did for the State. James De Barth Shorb arrived in San Francisco in 1864 with the first oil excitement and joined Wilson to manage his 14,000-acre San Pasqual ranch that extended from the foothills of Mt. Wilson to what is today the City of Alhambra. He became a member of Wilsons family by marrying his first daughter, Sue. He began a relentless political career, plunging into every major aspect of the States development after the death of Wilson in 1878. Volume II continues the Shorb narrative in 1879. He could have become Governor of the State, had he only accepted the nomination, but he, himself, admitted that his hands were full. Not only was he the father of nine children, but he was busy with his many business and civic endeavors. He built the largest winery in the world, helped develop water and irrigation projects, and was very influential in the establishment of laws governing such in the agricultural State of California. Shorb also pioneered an interurban railroad, the forerunner of Huntingtons network throughout Southern California. The Patton family is also introduced in Volume II. They arrived in 1865 as Civil War refugees. George Patton grew up in Los Angeles, became the citys district attorney, and developed a reputation as an explosive, fiery orator, who could hold a political convention of The Democracy spellbound for two hours. He married Wilsons daughter, Ruth, in 1884, and their son, George Smith Patton Jr., born November 11, 1885, was destined to become the famous World War II General. Volume III continues the narrative of this unusually vigorous and visionary family in 1889. Times were hard in the fin de sicle of the 19th Century, and they faced an awesome political battle to keep Los Angeles Harbor at San Pedro. The opposition? Collis P. Huntington, determined to establish the harbor at Santa Monica. This battle, recorded in national headlines, would call forth all of Pattons political energy. However, Volume III begins with more than hard times. While retaining the reverent spirit, the celebration of Thanksgiving Day in 1889 included a remarkable event. Heralded as the great Valley Hunt,a wildcat and fox huntit consisted of a hunting party of nearly 50 prominent members, and featured Shorbs famous hounds, the Australian blues. As a result of this successful activity, December 12, the president of the Valley Hunt Club wrote an article in the Los Angeles Times suggesting: A tournament