Editorial: BookRix
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK: THE MOST POWERFUL INVESTMENT OF MANKIND - EDUCATION: There is no time to lose. Educated children are at the heart of healthy, productive and prosperous societies. If that is the future we want tomorrow, we must invest today. If you have any ideas, do send us your ideas and comments to me.
A brief and humorous 500-year history of the Simplified Spelling Movement from advocates like Ben Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and Mark Twain to texts and Twitter. Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? And why is it funny when a philologist faints, but not polight to laf about it? Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to write in English has, at one time or another, struggled with its spelling. So why do we continue to use it? If our system of writing words is so tragically inconsistent, why haven’t we standardized it, phoneticized it, brought it into line? How many brave linguists have ever had the courage to state, in a declaration of phonetic revolt: “Enough is enuf”? The answer: many. In the comic annals of linguistic history, legions of rebel wordsmiths have died on the hill of spelling reform, risking their reputations to bring English into the realm of the rational. This book is about them: Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, Eliza Burnz, C. S. Lewis, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin, and the innumerable others on both sides of the Atlantic who, for a time in their life, became fanatically occupied with writing thru instead of through, tho for though, laf for laugh, beleev for believe, and dawter for daughter (and tried futilely to get everyone around them to do it too). Henry takes his humorous and informative chronicle right up to today as the language seems to naturally be simplifying to fit the needs of our changing world thanks to technology—from texting to Twitter and emojis, the Simplified Spelling Movement may finally be having its day. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.Ver libro
Beyond Believable: An Excessive Volume of Mind-blowing Facts, Funny True Stories, and Insanely Interesting Information for People Who Know Too Much is not your average book. It’s a thrilling adventure into the world of the bizarre and the unknown. With TWO BOOKS IN ONE, Better Than Balderdash and Untypical Tales, you will be transported into a world of crazy, weird, and fascinating facts that will make you the life of the party! Book 1, Better Than Balderdash, will keep you on the edge of your seat with a collection of stories that sound too weird to be true. Did you know that the shortest war ever recorded lasted only 38 minutes? Or that a woman once survived falling out of an airplane without a parachute? Or that there is an island in Japan that is overrun by friendly bunnies? Get ready to discover some of the most insane and true facts in the world! Book 2, Untypical Tales, is a collection of extraordinary stories that will challenge your understanding of the world. From Switzerland's strange rules about guinea pigs to the birth of the potato chip, you'll be amazed at the weird and wonderful world we live in. With both books in one, Beyond Believable offers an extensive volume of fascinating facts and unbelievable true stories. The book is the perfect gift for anyone who loves trivia, or for those looking for something to spice up a long road trip or boring afternoon at home. So, get ready for a fun-filled journey beyond your wildest imagination, where reality is stranger than fiction. With Beyond Believable, you will become the ultimate master of trivial knowledge, and never be lost for conversation starters again!Ver libro
Your story is a dungeon. Let’s go raid it. Is there a story trapped inside you, waiting to be rescued by your inner adventurer? Most writing advice sucks. It’s either too vague to be useful or so rigid it strangles your creativity. It treats writing like a chore, when it should feel like the most addictive game you’ve ever played. It’s time to flip the board over. The Writer’s Campaign is a gamified, RPG-inspired system designed to get you from a blank page to a finished first draft. Using dice, a notebook, and the spirit of adventure, you will:Generate a unique world, a compelling hero, and a high-stakes plot.Navigate every key story beat, from the Inciting Incident to the final, epic Climax.Slay writer's block by transforming it into a series of fun, achievable quests.Finish your damn book. Whether you're a complete beginner stuck on page one or a veteran writer looking to debug a broken manuscript, this is your system for turning ideas into words… and worlds. Stop waiting for the muse. Pick up your dice and start your quest. The adventure is ready. Are you?Ver libro
Fedeli all'idea che "una strada non domanda altro che essere percorsa" e che lo strumento privilegiato di conoscenza sia l'esperienza diretta dell'andare, Enrico Brizzi e Marcello Fini partono, nell'estate 2006, per percorrere la Via Francigena tra Canterbury e Roma, 1600 chilometri e 33 città sulle orme di Sigerico, l'arcivescovo di Canterbury che per primo tracciò l'itinerario nel 990 d.C. Affrontano, mossi dalla sola forza dei loro piedi, il più importante asse viario dell'Europa medioevale. Camminano sulle orme di viandanti e pellegrini, riflettono on the road sul significato della vita e su quale eredità ci abbia lasciato quell'Europa di mille anni fa, per la prima volta unita nel nome della religione e delle radici culturali. Si chiedono che senso abbia camminare nel XXI secolo sulle tracce di un oscuro vescovo britannico, di masnade armate, di mercanti e falsi bordones mescolati agli autentici uomini di fede diretti verso il sepolcro di Pietro. Sono pronti a raccogliere le parole e le immagini che la strada saprà offrirgli. Al racconto di viaggio è abbinato un ricco inserto fotografico, mappe e un'approfondita guida con tutte le indicazioni per ripetere l'impresa tappa per tappa.Ver libro
'Generous, moving and alive. A gift' - Tim Dee, author of Greenery 'Intelligent, thought-provoking and always, always interesting' - Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment 'Smyth writes with warmth and engaging perception about our relationship and understanding of the natural world on our doorsteps' - Jon Dunn, author of The Glitter in the Green 'Fresh and tender and playful' - Patrick Galbraith, author of In Search of One Last Song Weren't they richer, rock pools, wasn't the seashore busier, when I was a kid? Richard Smyth had always been drawn to the natural world, but when he became a father he found a new joy and a new urgency in showing his kids the everyday wild things around them. As he and his children explore rockpools in Whitley Bay, or the woods and moors near his Yorkshire home, he imagines the world they might inhabit as they grow up. Through different objects discovered on their wanderings - a beech leaf, a jay feather, a limpetshell - Smyth examines his own past as well as that of the early natural historians, weaving together history, memoir, and environmentalism to form a new kind of nature writing: one that asks both what we have lost, and what we have yet to find.Ver libro
A fun and informative trip around the highways (not forgetting the low ways) and byways of Great Britain. Within its pages you will find love and romance, murder and mayhem, royalty, aristocrats and commoners, politics and politicians, sex and scandal, sporting triumphs and sporting disasters, millionaires and eccentrics, film stars and train robbers and much more besides. Why were some customers at Harrods offered cognac or smelling salts during their visit to the store? What links DJ “Whispering Bob” Harris to a split pair of velvet trousers? Which high street store issued a patent for a drug to treat syphilis? The staff of which shop had uniforms by Mary Quant and hairstyles by Vidal Sassoon? Who placed a sign on her bedroom door bearing the legend ‘Chief Chick’? The cashpoint was invented while someone was having a bath A fascinating tour of the weird, wonderful, murderous and marvellous by Sunday Times Bestselling author Paul DonnelleyVer libro
