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Photography: A Critical Introduction

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
from: Routledge

April 01, 2004
I purchased this book as I am hoping to start a degree in photography in September 2005 and wanted to start "reading around" my subject. Although I haven't read this entire book, it is all ready proving its worth as the chapters' reference many other critical and theoretical works on photography that I have now started reading to widen my knowledge. It seems then that this book is ideal for dipping in and out of every now and then in order to push intriguing minds into other areas of the subject of photography. Therefore I'm sure it will prove a valuable addition to my bookshelf for my remaining years as a photography student.

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The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern History

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: John Tosh

January 04, 2006
John Tosh is in my view an excellent writer. This book enables even dimwits like me to understand the basics of historiography - the methods of history. This edition has really helpful notes in the margins explaining more complicated terms in a very simple way - spelling out anachronistic for example. Where I disagree with him slightly is in his emphasis on oral history being a technique rather than a 'genre'. OK he dedicates a fair bit of space to his book to discussing oral history but is not as positive about its contribution as Gwyn Prins - whose argument is better backed up by sources.

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After Modern Art, 1945-2000 (Oxford History of Art)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: David Hopkins

September 14, 2000
I'm amazed nobody has reviewed this book yet! Among the various studies of post-war art it is by far the best. Driven by the relationship between American and European art it seems to cover all of the main debates and is not afraid to tackle complex theoretical issues in a very readable manner. The book contains lively discussions of all the key names: Warhol, Beuys, Rauschenberg, Bourgeois etc. as well as being excellent on Modernism/Postmodernism. Very impressive all round.

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What is History? with a new Introduction by Richard J Evans

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Edward Hallett Carr

November 23, 2001
EH Carr was a great thinker, and in this series of lectures published in What Is History he tackles deep philosophical questions with a wit and intelligent investigation that is difficult to dislike. A bit wordy in places, and a bit mind boggling in others, What Is History is still thought provoking and interesting, just as it should be.

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Philosophy: The Classics

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Nigel Warburton

May 16, 2006
This is one of the most accessible introductions to western philosophy that I've come across. There are lucid accounts of 27 classic works of philosophy from Plato's Republic to John Rawl's A Theory of Justice. This 3rd edition(2006) includes three new chapters on Friedrich Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy and Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism. At the end of each short chapter there's a glossary and suggestions for further reading.
Any newcomer to philosophy could do no better than get hold of a copy of this marvellous and beautifully written book.

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Devising Performance: A Critical History (Theatre & Performance Practices)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Jane Milling, Deirdre Heddon

September 23, 2005
This is one of the most accessible introductions to western philosophy that I've come across. There are lucid accounts of 27 classic works of philosophy from Plato's Republic to John Rawl's A Theory of Justice. This 3rd edition(2006) includes three new chapters on Friedrich Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy and Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism. At the end of each short chapter there's a glossary and suggestions for further reading.
Any newcomer to philosophy could do no better than get hold of a copy of this marvellous and beautifully written book.

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The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Ian Shaw

October 23, 2003
If you can only have one book on Egyptology then this is the one. Ian Shaw has gathered together experts to present a generally accepted history of this fascinating period of history. As a student of Egyptology I a significant collection of works; but this is the one that I keep returning to. I've been using it for many years and can vouch for its broad coverage of a complex (and evolving) topic; the depth squeezed into a readable book is surprising.

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Economics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Partha Dasgupta

February 22, 2007
If you can only have one book on Egyptology then this is the one. Ian Shaw has gathered together experts to present a generally accepted history of this fascinating period of history. As a student of Egyptology I a significant collection of works; but this is the one that I keep returning to. I've been using it for many years and can vouch for its broad coverage of a complex (and evolving) topic; the depth squeezed into a readable book is surprising.

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History of Western Philosophy (Routledge Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Bertrand Russell

February 02, 2004
Being an engineering student, the closest brush I had with the formal study of philosophy was a few university courses, which I barely passed. Therefore, I decided to buy Bertrand Russell's classic work in order to refresh my knowledge. I wish I had done it earlier.

Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, enlivens philosophy-from ancient Greece to today. His account is lengthy, as any account of such a subject should, but well worth it. How else does one condense 3000 years of Western intellectual history in one volume?

I liked the pace of the book. He begins with a definition of philosophy and its roots in the Ancient world. It is not so much a list of facts as it is a discussion of the ideas of the Ancients. Absurd ... Read More:

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Theory/Theatre: An Introduction

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Academic History
by: Mark Fortier

May 09, 2002
Fortier somehow masters an introduction to many theoretical perspectives and their relation to theatre in a relatively small volume. The book focuses on theatre as performed rather than as writen.

After consideration of the various ways in which theatre and theory can interact, Fortier dedicates nine chapters to nine theoretical perpectives. Each chapter outlines the major approaches and writings in the field and inter-relates them to oneanother before giving a few examples of how the theory can be applied to certain appropiately selected performances.

The first 3 chapters (Semiotics, Phenomenology, Post-strucuralism) are geared towards the relationship to text.
The second 3 chapters (Psychoanalytic, Feminist, Reception) is conscious of subjectivity ... Read More: