The Oxford Study Italian Dictionary has many features including: Colour headwords and virtual alphabet tabs, alphabet strip on every page for easy navigation; clear examples showing the words in context; help with grammar; expressions and idioms highlighted; masculine and feminine forms given clearly and an introduction on how to use the dictionary.

Winnie the Witch loves travelling by broomstick. Sadly, when the sky starts filling up with all kinds of flying machines, Winnie and Wilbur have a few mid-air crashes and a few more near misses. Winnie tries a little magic to turn her broomstick into a bicycle, a skateboard, even a horse. But the accidents still happen. Perhaps Winnie needs to look no further than the end of her nose for an answer to her problems... This is a delightfully slapstick story and the sounds of passing helicopters, tumbling turrets, out-of-control skateboards, an irate ice-cream seller and a recalcitrant old nag are just some of the wonderful additions to the narration of Winnie Flies Again on the accompanying audio CD.

This fantastic volume includes six of Winnie and Wilbur's crazy capers. Meet them in their black house, take a hazardous ride on Winnie's broomstick, join them on a hot and sunny winter's day, find out what happens when Winnie's wand stops working, discover how much chaos a computer can cause and spend a day with them at the seaside! This collection is a must-have purchase for Winnie fans everywhere and, for those who have yet to meet everyone's favourite witch, it is a book that is guaranteed to make readers the best of friends with Winnie and her big black cat, Wilbur!

Scruff Sheep is the odd one out in his flock. He's always late, always last, and always scruffy! Feeling rejected and unloved by the other sheep, Scruff wanders off to be on his own and passes the hen house at just the right time to help Little Hennie in her hour of need. So Scruff Sheep goes from 'zero to hero' in a charming story that proves that kindness will always be appreciated.

This new edition of the dictionary uses up-to-date text and colour photographs and illustrations throughout. It includes colour coding of the dictionary quartiles, links to the Primary Strategy for KS2 and special information on word families, usage, and derived words. With the virtual thumb tabs and the alphabet down the side of each page, it's easy to access and age appropriate for independent dictionary users.

This new edition of the Oxford Primary Dictionary paperback edition provides users with the most appropriate and comprehensive dictionary in the market. With up-to-date curriculum coverage, international words, language panels, alphabet and virtual thumb tabs on every page and a clear, accessible design, users can navigate the dictionary with ease. The 16pp illustrated colour supplement provides extra vocabulary on key topics such as how to structure formal and informal letters and emails, the human body, healthy living, food technology, sports, ICT, transport, grammar, spelling, usage and punctuation. The Primary Dictionary Activities CD-ROM contains lots of fun exercises, games, and puzzles to help children aged 7+ to build their skills in dictionary use.

Grandpa is dying. He can barely move his hands any more but, stubborn as ever, refuses to stay in hospital. He's determined to finish his last painting, 'River Boy', before he goes. At first Jess can't understand his refusal to let go, but then she too becomes involved in the mysterious painting. And when she meets the river boy himself, she finds she is suddenly caught up in a challenge of her own that she must complete — before it's too late ...

Each Oxford Beginner's Bilingual Dictionary is designed to offer English speaking adult learners a comprehensive, straightforward introduction to foreign languages, covering all the vocabulary needed for the first years of study, along with notes on grammar and usage and guidance on the culture where the language is spoken. These easy-to-use references break from standard dictionary design. Clear entries with examples showing how the language works in context make it quick and simple to find the translation you're looking for, and the bold, color layout makes the dictionary easy to navigate, allowing you to get to grips with the language fast. All main translations are preceded by an equals sign so that they are instantly identifiable, and all parts of the entry are spelled out in full, avoiding confusing jargon and abbreviations. Grammar and usage notes throughout the text warn of possible translation pitfalls, and thousands of example phrases show how the language is used in real life. At the center of each dictionary is a section devoted to useful information on the country, countries, or regions where the language is spoken. This includes background on lifestyles and culture, tips on etiquette and interaction, and a phrasefinder that provides handy phrases for use when traveling abroad. The dictionary also includes a section on core vocabulary--all the words you absolutely must know at a beginner's level, whether you are a student, traveler, or business person. The Oxford Beginner's Bilingual Dictionary is the perfect tool for adult language learners who need basic vocabulary at their fingertips fast.

Can you conquer the codes and unravel the riddles — without tearing your hair out? This book is full of different types of puzzle poems to solve with all sorts of brainteasers, anagrams, acrostics, spoonerisms, rebuses, and poems you just have to say out loud if you want the answer — if you can work out how to say them! With many amusing poems, this collection is guaranteed to intrigue and entertain. The poets include Jonathan Swift, James Reeves, Wendy Cope and Nick Toczek.

Captain Titus Oates, hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for nearly a century. But not in Sym's head. In there, he is her constant companion, her soulmate, her adviser. It is as if he walked out of the Polar blizzard and into her mind. In fact, if it were not for Titus, life might be as bleak a place as the Antarctic wilderness. When she is taken on a mystery expedition by her eccentric uncle Victor, Sym can't believe her luck. Destination Antarctica-the very place she's always wanted to visit. But Victor has other plans, more sinister than Sym could possibly imagine. Stranded in the most isolated part of the world with her trust in someone she comes to realize is a madman, she must find a way to avoid a gruesome fate. But what should a teenage girl do? Could it be that Titus, the one who perished in that very place, will be the means of her survival?

This Very Short Introduction traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the latest fossil finds. Although concentrating on the fossil evidence for human evolution, it also covers the latest genetic evidence about regional variations in the modern human genome that relate to our evolutionary history. Bernard Wood draws on over thirty years of experience to provide an insiders view of the field and some of the personalities in it, and demonstrates that our understanding of human evolution is critically dependent on advances in related sciences such as paleoclimatology, geochronology, systematics, genetics, and developmental biology.

Existentialism was one of the leading philosophical movements of the twentieth century. Focusing on its seven leading figures, Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty and Camus, this Very Short Introduction provides a clear account of the key themes of the movement which emphasized individuality, free will, and personal responsibility in the modern world. Drawing in the movement's varied relationships with the arts, humanism, and politics, this book clarifies the philosophy and original meaning of 'existentialism' — which has tended to be obscured by misappropriation. Placing it in its historical context, Thomas Flynn also highlights how existentialism is still relevant to us today.

How much have women's lives really changed? In the West women still come up against the 'glass ceiling' at work, most earning considerably less than their male counterparts. What are we to make of the now commonplace insistence that feminism deprives men of their rights and dignities? And how does one tackle the issue of female emancipation in different cultural and economic environments — in, for example, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, and Africa? This book provides an historical account of feminism, exploring its earliest roots as well as key issues including voting rights, the liberation of the sixties, and its relevance today. Margaret Walters touches on the difficulties and inequities that women still face more than forty years after the 'new wave' of 1960s feminism, such as how successful women are at combining domesticity, motherhood, and work outside the house. She brings the subject completely up to date by providing an analysis of the current situation of women across the globe, from Europe and the United States to Third World countries.

Contemporary art has never been so popular — but what is 'contemporary' about contemporary art? What is its role today, and who is controlling its future? Bloody toy soldiers, gilded shopping carts, and embroidered tents. Contemporary art is supposed to be a realm of freedom where artists shock, break taboos, flout generally received ideas, and switch between confronting viewers with works of great emotional profundity and jaw-dropping triviality. But away from shock tactics in the gallery, there are many unanswered questions. Who is really running the art world? What effect has America's growing political and cultural dominance had on art? Julian Stallabrass takes us inside the international art world to answer these and other controversial questions, and to argue that behind contemporary art's variety and apparent unpredictability lies a grim uniformity. Its mysteries are all too easily explained, its depths much shallower than they seem. Contemporary art seeks to bamboozle its viewers while being the willing slave of business and government. This book is your antidote and will change the way you see contemporary art.

Crusading fervour gripped Europe for over 200 years, creating one of the most extraordinary, vivid episodes in world history. Whether the Crusades are regarded as the most romantic of Christian expeditions, or the last of the barbarian invasions, they have fascinated generations ever since, and their legacy of ideas and imagery has resonated through the centuries, inspiring Hollywood movies and great works of literature. Even today, to invoke the Crusades is to stir deep cultural myths, assumptions and prejudices. Yet despite their powerful hold on our imaginations, our knowledge of them remains obscured an distorted by time. Were the Crusaders motivated by spiritual rewards, or by greed? Were the Crusades an experiment in European colonialism, or a manifestation of religious love? How were they organized and founded? With customary flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman picks his way through the many debates to present a clear and lively discussion of the Crusades; bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, economic exploitation, and the relationship between past and present.

Everyone has heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but amidst the conspiracies, the politics, and the sensational claims, it can be dificult to separate the myths from the reality. Timothy Lim here presents the true facts and leading theories behind the cultural and historical background of the scrolls, and examines their significance for our understanding of the Old Testament and the origins of Christianity and Judaism. He also tells the fascinating story of the scrolls since their discovery, explains the science behind their deciphering and dating, and does not omit the cast of characters, scandals, and controversies that have hastened the scrolls' rise to the status of cultural icon.

Psychiatry is now a highly visible activity — care in the community, compulsion, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse mean that few people are not touched by it. Indeed one in four of us will consult a psychiatrist in our life time. This book explains what psychiatry is, and what it is not. It starts with the identification of the major mental illnesses and why they are no longer considered just variations of normality. It charts the rise of the Asylum and its demise with the developments of Care in the Community, and the flourishing of psychoanalysis and its later transformation into more accessible psychotherapies. More than any other branch of medicine psychiatry has been attacked and criticised. There is a long catalogue of abuses — from mundane neglect and bizarre treatments through to political abuse by totalitarian regimes. Modern psychiatry too brings with it new controversies such as the medicalization of normal life, the power of the drug companies and the use of psychiatry as an agent of social control.The book does not shy away from outlining these issues but provides the reader with a clear understanding of what psychiatry is capable of, and what it is not capable of, so that they can draw their own conclusions.

The men of culture are the true apostles of equality. Matthew Arnold's famous series of essays, which were first published in book form under the title Culture and Anarchy in 1869, debate important questions about the nature of culture and society that are as relevant now as they have ever been. Arnold seeks to find out 'what culture really is, what good it can do, what is our own special need of it' in an age of rapid social change and increasing mechanization. He contrasts culture, the study of perfection, with anarchy, the mood of unrest and uncertainty that pervaded mid-Victorian England. How can individuals be educated, not indoctrinated, and what is the role of the state in disseminating sweetness and light? This edition reproduces the original book version and enables readers to appreciate its immediate historical context as well as the reasons for its continued importance today, in the face of the challenges of multi-culturalism and post-modernism.

Yanis has spent his life so far scrubbing socks in an orphanage. But that changes when Dr Gomarus knocks on the door, seeking an apprentice. The strange doctor is travelling to far-flung Osva to study the craniums of criminals. He needs a helper, and Yanis fits the bill. Awaiting execution in Osva jail is Nikolai Kolchak, the notorious leader of the revolutionaries who are holding the country in the grip of civil war. The chance to study the skull of Kolchak is a prize worth any danger. On the perilous journey to Osva, Yanis encounters a kind and beautiful countess and her pistol-packing minder, Miss Minsky. They too are travelling to the town, but why? And how can it be that when Yanis finally accompanies Dr Gomarus to Kolchak's cell, he finds there a charming, friendly man, and not the devil described and feared throughout the country? Soon Yanis finds himself running errands for the rebel leader, and for the Countess. And, as he does, he begins to realise that people are not always what they seem...

This work integrates theory, research, and practice on the learning of second and foreign languages as informed by sociocultural and activity theory. It familiarizes students, teachers, and other researchers who do not work within the theory with its principal claims and constructs in particular as they relate to second language research. The book also describes and illustrates the use of activity theory to support practical and conceptual innovations in second language education.