Great Learning

From Pickwick to Scrooge, Copperfield to Twist, how did Dickens find the perfect names for his characters? What was Dickens' favourite way of killing his characters? When is a Dickens character most likely to see a ghost? Why is Dickens’ trickery only fully realised when his novels are read aloud? In 13 entertaining and wonderfully insightful essays, John Mullan explores the literary machinations of Dickens’ eccentric genius, from his delight in clichés to his rendering of smells and his outrageous use of coincidences.

If you like to write—whether it's a pastime, a passion, or a profession—you've probably found yourself reading something brilliant and thinking, "I could never do this! I might as well give up." But if there's one thing every great author has in common, it's this: they've all written some hot garbage. Revisionaries takes you on an engrossing tour through the discarded drafts, false starts, and abandoned projects of influential writers. In the process, it dismantles some of our most deeply held—and most suffocating—ideas about what it takes to produce great creative work.

Many academics attack the very idea of a Western canon as chauvinistic, while the general public increasingly doubts the value of the humanities. In Rescuing Socrates, Dominican-born American academic Roosevelt Montás tells the story of how a liberal education transformed his life, and offers an intimate account of the relevance of the Great Books today, especially to members of historically marginalized communities.

With this audiobook, we want to let our listeners know how vibrant and lively (as well as deadly) life in Britain was during the perhaps wrongly-titled “Dark Ages”. With the end of the Roman Empire, the local Britons were left to their devices, and it would be several people groups from a peninsula in Central Europe that would come to dominate the island, making sure their presence was known through a series of kingdoms, battles, clashes, victories, and defeats.

A master class of 27 lessons, drawn from 27 diverse narratives, for novelists, storytellers, filmmakers, graphic designers, and more. Author Daniel Joshua Rubin unlocks the secrets of what makes a story work, and then shows how to understand and use these principles in your own writing. The result is “an invaluable resource” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), offering priceless advice like escalate risk, with an example from Pulp Fiction.

Feeling feverish, tired, or achy? Listening to Gina Kolata's engrossing account of the 1918 Influenza epidemic is sure to give you the chills. A gripping work of science writing, Flu addresses the prospects for a great epidemic recurring, and considers what can be done to prevent it.

This audiobook includes a fine group of simple rules that have the potential to greatly change your life. No kidding! Ever wanted a compass for life? Here is a very unique step-by-step guide: self-motivation broken down into defined everyday life issues: love, money, romance, karma, justice, your purpose of life, and several more. Figuratively, this is a medical doctor's self-help dissection notepad. The rules are plain amazing, simple, and down to earth. Need that extra drive, clarity, or motivation? Take a chance! Be enlightened and inspired!

Where do writers learn their best moves? They use a technique that Roy Peter Clark calls X-ray reading, a form of reading that lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made. In The Art of X-Ray Reading, Clark invites you to don your X-ray reading glasses and join him on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time, from The Great Gatsby to Lolita to The Bluest Eye and many more.

You don’t need expensive landscape designers to help you fall in love with your home. By investing your own time into your outside property, you'll not only raise the value of your home and boost its curb appeal, but you'll also give your landscape your own personal twist. With Learn to Landscape, you’ll find the knowledge and confidence you need to tackle projects ranging from blooming floral arrangements to stone patios, all while putting your own unique spin on them. There's never been a better time than now to start.

The Magna Carta is celebrated as one of the most important documents in human history. It is the main source of constitutional law around the world, promising people liberties and protection from the arbitrary power of the government. If you want to discover the captivating history of the Magna Carta, buy this book today.

Feeling helpless after investing in the stock market and realizing you need to know more? Discover the holy grail of charting analysis that will skyrocket your investments today.

Each summary includes key takeaways and analysis of the original book to help you quickly absorb the author's wisdom in a distilled and easy-to-digest format. ZIP Reads' summaries mean you save time and money reading only what you need. Key takeaways and analysis of the original book help you quickly absorb the author's wisdom in a distilled and easy-to-digest format.

Why did women wear such heavy and uncomfortable skirts in the Elizabethan era? What the hell happened to Charles II's pubic hair wig? How did Princess Diana's revenge dress become so iconic? From the TikTok sensation Rosie Harte, The Royal Wardrobe dives into a horrible history and colourful past that will surprise and fascinate. From the Tudors to the Victorians right through to the 21st Century family rife with drama and division, there is so much still to uncover and explore.

Are you interested in the history of one of the most isolated kingdoms on Earth? Then this audiobook is for you! When most people hear the phrase “ancient Hawaii”, it brings up a certain air of mystery and intrigue. Some might think of tattooed tribesmen sailing across the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean under the moonlight, dancing around campfires to connect with their gods, or living on the sides of volcanos. But is this an accurate depiction? Or is there more to the early people of Hawaii?

Whether you are thinking about a new purchase or already have a camera, smartphone, or drone, this guide will put you on the path to a future of great picture-taking! This guide will help you with selecting the right equipment and accessories. It will help you understand how to start using your camera or smartphone for drone photography and how to start vlogging. Beyond equipment, this guide will help you understand how a great photographic image is created, based on using skills in lighting, composition, framing, and an eye for the quirky or unusual.

The beginning is the most important part of your book. The first chapter—probably even the first page—is what makes agents and editors accept or reject a manuscript, and it's what makes readers decide to buy a book or pick another. But writing a compelling opening is hard because there are so many things a great beginning needs to do and so many mistakes to avoid.

Once you have been lucky enough to welcome a Dane into your family, there is no going back. These gentle giants need lots of affection and socialization. They are perfect family pets, and are fiercely protective of the young. Great with kids of all ages, they are patient, loving, and make great playmates. Whether you are selecting a new Great Dane puppy from a breeder or adopting a Great Dane from a rescue, The Complete Guide to Great Danes will help you successfully find, raise, and train your new puppy.

A working mother of six, who has homeschooled her own children for years, shows how any family can do it, with customized plans for every schedule, lifestyle, and educational goal.

Do you find attractive the idea of living on the edge with only the bare minimum, wanting to experience the ultimate satisfaction that comes from being creative and resourceful in the wild? It may finally be the time for you to go into the wilderness with nothing but your hands, and start exploring all the possibilities that nature has to offer you to become completely independent and stop relying on anything or anyone but yourself to survive and thrive. You'll need proper guidance to help you understand exactly what you need and how you need to do it.

In this colourful history of the wild world of crime reporting since 1700, Duncan Campbell reveals what it's really like to deal with murderers, gangsters, victims, informers and detectives, looking at the 'hacks in the macs' who would go to any lengths to get a story - and serve it up to an ever-eager reading public. Crime is a prism through which we see society and its phobias.