DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH NOBODY EVER LISTENS TO YOU ?DO YOU HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME CONVINCING OR PERSUADING OTHERS TO DO WHAT TOU WANT? DO YOU SECRETLY WISH YOU HAD THE POWER OF MIND CONTROL ? HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ABLE TO MANIPULATE PEOPLE AND GET THEM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT? WELL YOUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED AND THIS IS THE PERFECT BOOK FOR YOU!!!⚠️WARNING ⚠️ : Please be warned that the psychological manipulation techniques listed in this book are extremely dangerous and not suitable reading material for those under the age of 18. The art of finesse is an instructional guide on how to manipulate people and persuade them into doing exactly what you want. Written by psychology expert and former reality tv star Godfrey Mangwiza , the art of finesse reveals 6 scientifically proven steps which will give you the ability to brainwash and coerce absolutely anyone , using little to no effort. The author Godfrey also reflects on his tough upbringing in Africa and shares the mental warfare techniques as well as the mind games he had to master in order to survive life in a third world country. This book is the perfect gift for those who wish to influence others and gain power either at work or in relationships

Dandies: Fashion and Finesse in Art and Culture considers the visual languages, politics, and poetics of personal appearance. Dandyism has been most closely associated with influential caucasian Western men-about-town, epitomized by the 19th century style-setting of Oscar Wilde and by Tom Wolfe's white suits. The essays collected here, however, examine the spectacle and workings of dandyism to reveal that these were not the only dandies. On the contrary, art historians, literary and cultural historians, and anthropologists identify unrecognized dandies flourishing among early 19th century Native Americans, in Soviet Latvia, in Africa, throughout the African-American diaspora, among women, and in the art world. Moving beyond historical and fictional accounts of dandies, this volume juxtaposes theoretical models with evocative images and descriptions of clothing in order to link sartorial self-construction with artistic, social, and political self-invention. Taking into consideration the vast changes in thinking about identity in the academy, Dandies provides a compelling study of dandyism's destabilizing aesthetic enterprise. Contributors: Jennifer Blessing, Susan Fillin-Yeh, Rhonda Garelick, Joe Lucchesi, Kim Miller, Robert E. Moore, Richard J. Powell, Carter Ratcliffe, and Mark Allen Svede.

"Home Comforts" meets Miss Manners in this elegant, comprehensive guide to the table -- an invaluable resource for every aspect of formal and informal dining and entertainment. 130 line drawings throughout. 16 pages of color photos.

Innovative approach to bookbinding explains techniques that elevate handmade books into extraordinary artworks. Simple, well-illustrated directions explain how to make pop-up panels, pages that "explode" from the spine, slipcases, and more.

"In her study of the rise of charities amidst the late-Ming crises, Joanna Handlin Smith has marshaled so many interesting and rare sources that she is able as few before to give life and especially depth to a large and diverse group of remarkable people. This landmark book on one of the most exciting periods in Chinese history makes you all the more sorry that the Ming dynasty collapsed despite so much devotion and talent."—Pierre-Étienne Will, Collège de France "In her absorbing accounts of both big events and small, Joanna Handlin Smith has anchored her narrative in original research, producing a work of admirable scholarly care and ingenuity. This fine study, attentive as much to the complex of moral ideals underlying them as to the detailed practices of early modern famine relief and benevolent societies, will make a lasting contribution to our understanding of charity as performed in Chinese contexts."—Vivienne Shue, Oxford University

A brilliant historical mystery series begins: in gaslit Victorian London, writer Thomas De Quincey must become a detective to clear his own name. Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier. The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey's essay On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts. Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives. In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.

Ready to Get the MOST Out of Life -and Your Pickleball Game? Whether you've never heard of this fun, fast-growing game, or are a confirmed pickleball addict, this guide to living and playing mindfully with passion, purpose, and a smile on your face is as uplifting as it is empowering. In Pickleball and the Art of Living, entrepreneur, coach and philanthropist Mike Branon shares the essence of how to: DEVELOP powerful habits and master techniques that improve performance in any endeavor. OVERCOME obstacles that stand in the way of living and playing your best. CULTIVATE the mindset that unlocks your enjoyment of everyday life and fills you with a sense of gratitude and accomplishment. CONNECT deeply with the people who really matter. BALANCE fierce competition with the ability to lighten up and have a few laughs along the way. UNLEASH your inner pickleball savant. Imagine taking your game to the next level. Imagine a life of greater presence, connection and joy. Turn imagination into action. Your time is now!

Taking a wide-ranging approach rare in jazz criticism, Ted Gioia's brilliant volume draws upon fields as disparate as literary criticism, art history, sociology, and aesthetic philosophy in order to place jazz within the turbulent cultural environment of the twentieth century. He argues that because improvisation--the essence of jazz--must often fail under the pressure of on-the-spot creativity, we should view jazz as an "imperfect art" and base our judgments of it on an "aesthetics of imperfection." Incorporating the thought of such seminal thinkers as Walter Benjamin, José Ortega y Gasset, and Roland Barthes, The Imperfect Art offers vivid portraits of the giants of jazz and startling insights into this vital musical form and the interaction of society and art.

“An eminently stylish tale” from the creators of Ada Twist, Scientist, the #1 New York Times bestseller that’s now a Netflix series (Publishers Weekly). In a three-story house with a shop down below, lived the world’s finest hat maker, Madame Chapeau. Like the Lady herself, all her hats were refined. Brilliantly singular. One of a kind. So begins the tale of a lonely hat maker who matches customers to the perfect hat but lacks her own perfect match in life. Once a year, on her birthday, Madame Chapeau ventures out in her favorite bonnet to dinner. This time, a crow snatches her hat and flies away. Mon dieu! As she chases the crow through the streets of Paris, a baker, a policeman, a cowboy, and others offer her their own hats to wear. None of them are quite right, though, until one special little girl offers her a hat “knitted with love and [her] best birthday wish.” From the bestselling team behind Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer comes this delightful and very stylish story about love, community, and friendship, with some fancy hats thrown in for good measure. “Beaty carries the bounces and lilts to the very last page. Roberts’ colorful, exaggerated hats (many of which are modeled on real designs) whimsically adorn the multicultural Parisian public . . . The underlying suggestion that no one is as alone as they believe is lovely enough, but the fun of reading this aloud elevates it even more.” —Kirkus Reviews

This early work by Abraham Grace Merritt was originally published in 1920 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Metal Monster' is a fantasy novel about Dr. Goodwin's travels in the Himalayas and the mysterious metal beings he encounters there. It tells the tale of adventurous explorers who discover an unknown world. Abraham Grace Merritt - also known by his byline, A. Merritt - was born on the 20th January, 1884 in New Jersey, America. Merritt's stories typically revolved around conventional pulp magazine themes. His heroes are gallant Irishmen or Scandinavians, his villains treacherous Germans or Russians and his heroines often virginal, mysterious and scantily clad. Merritt married twice, once in the 1910s to Eleanore Ratcliffe, with whom he raised an adopted daughter, and again in the thirties to Eleanor H. Johnson.