A fascinating and beautiful celebration of more than 80 great artists from the early Renaissance to the present day. This book explores the stories of their lives, the loves, and their work.

Calligraphy means 'the art of writing beautifully'. Driven by its use in the Koran, artfully executed Arabic script became a key religious and political marker at a very early stage; since then calligraphy has played a central role in the Islamic world.In addition to appearing on paper, artful writing can be found on everything, from coins, weapons, dishes, lamps and textiles to the façades and interiors of buildings. The many types of texts offer rich and varied insights into Islamic art, culture and societies.Beyond Words presents 128 objects featuring calligraphy, most notably from The David Collection. In addition, the book contains articles on such subjects as the Arabic alphabet, classical scripts, the calligraphers and the different types of texts. The publication also explores the use of Arabic lettering in earlier European art and in modern-day Arabic graffiti.

The author believes that all international strategic manoeuvrings in the region, mostly rely on information that is entirely fabricated and portrayed by Pakistan's adversaries to harm its national interests. In his opinion, knowing a realistic picture of Pakistan and the Pakistan army in its true perspective, is important not only for people inside the country but also for the international community, so that they may pursue their relationships and cooperation in the region based on ground realities. Considering his personal experiences in security and counterintelligence operations during last four decades, he thought of writing this book. He believes that his narrative provides a virtuous material for analysts to ponder history through an authentic premise and predict futuristic security scenarios based on a realistic perspective. To present his arguments with facts and figures, in a cohesive manner, the author has presented the narrative in shape of a memoir of his lifelong experiences in a cohesive manner, taking full measure of the individuals, institutions and organisations that made a strong impression on his life. During the process, an effort has been made to take the readers along the same curve he followed so that they can clearly grasp the dynamics that drives the life of a Pakistani soldier.

Magnificent examples of Safavid silks and their impact on 17th-century economy and society With their sumptuous surfaces, original designs and technical sophistication, luxury textiles played a critical role in the social, cultural, religious and economic life of Safavid Iran (1501–1722). Used for clothing, furnishing and even architecture, fabrics also functioned as important symbols of power and as ubiquitous forms of artistic expression. In the 17th century, they became the most lucrative economic commodity in Iran and were exported by land and sea to both Europe and the East, generating tremendous wealth and prosperity for the Safavid Empire. By employing the most talented designers and bringing the industry under state control, Shah ‘Abbas I built a flourishing silk economy that fueled an era of rich artistic development and cultural exchange. Fashioning an Empire captures this moment in time, showcasing masterpieces from the period complemented by manuscript illustrations and portraits depicting how the silk fabrics were worn by the elite of Iranian society.

Sylvester Stallone's action thriller, First Blood, hit cinema screens in 1982, leading to the cementing of what can be called the Action Movie Canon. With films like Die Hard, Under Siege and Total Recall pioneering post-millennial Action Movies such as Tomb Raider, The Bourne Identity and Atomic Blonde, there is a clear trajectorial line showing that the Action Movie has radically altered to incorporate much more complex portrayals of both 'hero' and 'heroine': the Action Movie Hero. Examining the changing face of Action Movies and their representations of gender since the release of First Blood, Gender and Action Films 1980-2000 examines masculinity and anxiety through subjects ranging from gender spaces in action films to the buddy cop film. From transformative femininity, motherhood and machoism, action women in contemporary Colombian cinema, reconsidering gender in Jurassic Park, to gender, politics and 80s action - the chapters dive into everything from sword-playing and gun-shooting women and rainbow-coloured riots on Hollywood boulevard. Gender and Action Films 1980-2000 offers a comprehensive insight into the intertwined concepts of gender and action, and how their portrayal developed in the Action Movie genre during the final two decades of the twentieth century. A necessity for academics, students and lovers of film and media and those interested in gender studies.

A groundbreaking examination of a central question in international relations: Do states act rationally?

We believe that rules and laws are in place to protect us. They are what keep our societies from descending into chaos. Without them, how would we know our right from wrong, live comfortably in our communities and be good neighbours to one another? C.L. Skach feels differently. She always believed in the strength of the law - she spent her career in some of the most fractured, war-torn corners of the world, reading and writing constitutions to help fix society. But as she sat alone in a sandbagged trailer in Baghdad after a rocket attack, she admitted what she'd been denying for years: a good society cannot be imposed from above. It comes from leaning less on formal rules, and more on each other. Skach lays out six ideas, informed by everything from civil wars to civil rights struggles, bystander responsibility to mutual aid in the pandemic, to help us build small societies of our own. These ideas sometimes sound simple: share the vegetables from your garden, spend time on a park bench. But taken together they can amount to real, bottom-up change.

Our human rights are endangered. After the devastation of World War Two the international community united to enshrine fundamental rights to refuge, health, education and living standards. They protected privacy, fair trials and free speech and outlawed torture, slavery and discrimination. Their goal was greater global justice, equality and peace. That settlement is now under attack from opponents on both left and right and populist and authoritarian movements worldwide. Simultaneously, we are threatened by war, inequality, new tech and climate catastrophe, crises human rights can help us address. In this urgent, powerful book, Shami Chakrabarti, demonstrates why human rights matter and why we need to secure further rights to deal with challenges of the present and future. Outlining the historic national and international struggles for human rights, from ancient Babylon to the present day, Chakrabarti is an indispensable guide to the law and logic underpinning human dignity and universal freedoms. This book equips supporters in the battle of ideas and will encourage doubters to think again. To believe in human rights is to believe in human beings. If they, and we, are to survive, these rights must be owned and understood by everyone.

Accompanying a major exhibition at the British Museum in May 2024, this booklet features spectacular loans from the Vatican Library and the Louvre, placing one of the world's finest collections of Michelangelo drawings within the broader context to the rest of his works. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. He was not the isolated, tortured genius of artistic myth, but a man who maintained a close circle of friends and associates into old age. He developed collaborative working relationships with younger artists, thereby maintaining his fame and reputation even as he aged, relinquishing the hardest physical work to others. His late drawings offer a powerful insight into his psychology, reflecting his Catholic faith, his commanding intellectual engagement, and his hope for eternal life. Michelangelo reimagined the iconography of religious art to create hugely influential compositions of key moments in Christian faith, such as the Crucifixion, the Last Judgement and the Pietà (or Lamentation). He was involved in designing several significant sites in Rome at this time - including his key architectural project, the immense challenge of rebuilding St Peter's, at the very heart of Christianity. His role as an architect is explored through beautiful drawings, highlighting his range as a designer. Alongside his major commissions he created deeply personal drawings - revisiting earlier compositions to explore intensely moving Crucifixions that served as spiritual meditations on Christ's death and offered the hope of salvation for an elderly man facing the end of his own long life. Built on the firm foundations of the British Museum's extraordinary collection of drawings, his work is explored alongside his personal relationships to consider the transformation of Michelangelo into the towering figure of artistic genius known today.

"The renowned economist and author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century distills his research on the history of inequality into an accessible, engaging guide to creating a fairer, more sustainable world. In this unique work, Thomas Piketty presents a synthesis of his historical and comparative research on inequalities. Addressing topics as varied as education, inheritance, the climate crisis, the taxation of wealth, and gender disparities, it challenges the idea that there could be natural inequalities and shows that the march toward equality has always depended on political and social struggles. Adapted from Piketty's 2022 lecture at the Mus¿ du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Nature, Culture, and Inequality makes his important argument available to a wider audience for the first time"--

Paula Scher is one of the most influential graphic designers in the world. Described as the master conjurer of the instantly familiar, Scher straddles the line between pop culture and fine art in her work. Iconic, smart and accessible, her images have entered the American vernacular. Paula Scher: Works is the definitive visual record of the groundbreaking graphic designer and Pentagram partner. Published by Unit Editions, the 522-page book presents the most extensive monograph of Scher's career to date, featuring over 300 projects from her early days in the music industry as an art director with CBS and Atlantic Records, through the launch of her first studio, Koppel & Scher, to her 25-year engagement with Pentagram. Co-edited by Tony Brook and Adrian Shaughnessy, the book organizes Scher's work chronologically into several thematic sections. It opens with a long interview with the designer, then moves into her record covers from the 1970s and 80s. Central chapters look at her innovative approach to identity design and environmental graphics and its impact on contemporary New York's urban fabric as seen in work for clients from MoMA to Charter Schools; from the High Line to Shake Shack as well as her logos for global corporations and cultural institutions. A large section on authorship is devoted to the designer's socially and politically-motivated posters, New York Times Op-Ed illustrations and campaign work. The book also provides the most up-to-date look at Scher's idiosyncratic hand-painted maps, a prolific artistic practice that complements her still-growing graphic legacy, as well as her longstanding collaboration with The Public Theater, which spans over twenty years.

The nine essays in this volume were first presented at the Historians of Islamic Art Association's (HIAA) seventh biennial symposium entitled 'Regime Change' and they highlight some of the regimes of thought and changing trends that structure the field of Islamic art history.

"The new edition of the best-selling text, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches by John W. Creswell and co-author J. David Creswell, continues the pioneering tradition of providing clear and concise instruction for understanding research and developing proposals for all three approaches. This classic text walks students through research methods, starting with a preliminary consideration of philosophical assumptions, continuing with a review of the literature, an assessment of the use of theory in research approaches, and ending with reflections about the importance of writing and ethics in scholarly inquiry in a way that is applicable to all types of research. Coverage of key elements of the research process helps readers organize and develop their research project, giving specific attention to each methodological approach. The book has been lauded for its language and tone, which are both accessible and inviting. Students keep and continue to use this text as a resource throughout their studies, once the specific class is over. The Sixth Edition includes more coverage of community-based participatory research, comparisons of qualitative and quantitative research, an expanded glossary with basic terms, updated examples of social, behavioral, and health research, new coverage of ethical requirements, updated APA 7th edition coverage, and additional exercises aimed at research projects"--

AI is coming fast and will affect every part of a business, including the role of the leader. And up until now, leaders have largely ceded their role in the transformation-pushing determination of strategy out to tech teams and leaving investment decisions with groups that don't have a full view of the organization. Just when responsible leadership is more imperative than ever, leaders are not stepping up to understand and execute in the new world of human-machine collaboration. A generation of AI transformation failures awaits if leaders don't connect their use of AI to their strategies. This book helps leaders retake control of the wildly rapid deployment of AI across organizations. It outlines cleanly and concisely nine actions leaders need to take to successfully steward a transition to a more AI-centric future that will lead to growth for all-companies and workers-and avoid the kinds of mistakes that author David De Cremer has seen many early adopters already make. This is not a book about AI technology itself or the latest developments in machine learning but rather a clarion call for leaders to take their rightful place at the front of the AI revolution and lead their organization into the new world.

The Princeton Review provides everything you need to master the exam with this guidebook. Get traditional content reviews along with techniques specifically made for the digital format, plus 5 full-length practice tests (2 in the book and 3 in our exclusive online exam interface, which replicates the look, feel, and function of the new digital test for super-realistic practice).

THE ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION FOR YOUR HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORE ON THE NEW, SHORTER GRE. Get the prep you need for your best GRE score with The Princeton Review, including 6 full-length practice tests (2 in the book and 4 online), topic reviews updated for the new exam, and exclusive access to premium online content.

"Digital SAT advanced, 2nd edition covers extra-challenging topics to help you maximize your scoring potential. With exclusive tips and strategies that help your answer more questions correctly, this book guides you through the test's most difficult sections so you can earn every point needed for a top score.

Succeed on the SAT with the Princeton Review! With 4 full-length practice tests (2 paper tests in the book and 2 realistic adaptive exams online), in-depth reviews for all exam content, and strategies for scoring success, SAT Prep, 2025 covers every facet of this challenging and important test.

The Truth About Empire comes from expert historians who believe that the truth, as far as we can pinpoint it, matters; that our decades of painstaking research make us worth listening to; and that our authority as leading professionals should count for something in today's polarised debates over Britain's imperial past. In the culture wars, the public's understanding of colonial history is continually distorted by wilful caricatures. With their fight to highlight Empire's horrors, communities whose voices once went unheard have alienated many who would prefer a celebratory national history. The backlash, orchestrated by elements of the media, has produced a concerted denial of British imperial racism and violence -- a disinformation campaign sharing both tactics and motivations with those around Covid, Brexit and climate change. From Australia and China to India and South Africa, this essay collection is an accessible guide to the British Empire, and a shield against the assault on historical truth. The disturbing stories told in these pages, of Empire's culture, politics and economics, show why professional research matters, when deciding what can and cannot be known about Britains colonial past.

Before the East India Company and before the British Empire, England was a pariah state. Seeking better fortunes, 16th and 17th century merchants, pilgrims and outcasts ventured to the kingdom of the mighty Mughals, attempting to sell coarse woollen broadcloth along the silk roads; playing courtiers in the Mughal palaces in pursuit of love; or simply touring the sub-continent in search of an elephant to ride. Into this golden realm went Father Thomas Stephens, a Catholic fleeing his home; the merchant Ralph Fitch looking for jewels in the markets of Delhi; and John Mildenhall, an adventurer revelling in the highwire politics of the Mughal elite. Drawing on rich, original sources, Lubaaba Al-Azami traces the origins of a relationship between two nations - one outsider and one superpower - whose cultures remain inextricably linked to this day.

This book is set in Karachi, Pakistan and investigates the possibility of achieving localness through identifying urban process and their impact on built form, addressing how locals associate with the urban spaces and how they value it. Thus, the investigation, using the local terminology maqamiat, goes beyond the physicality of space and develops a framework that helps to understand the social, ethnic, economic, ecological and other the non-physical aspects of space, which are of value to the locals. The aim is to investigate the possibility of achieving localness through identifying urban design elements that can be incorporated into the process of designing new built forms that acknowledges what is valued by the locals instead of superimposing imported designs, negating the contextual realties, both physical and social. For this purpose, the book includes three case studies from Karachi. The book questions the aspiration of many cities in the South Asian context to imitate the built forms of Western cities (increasingly, Singapore and Shanghai) which are viewed as modern and represents future. The book will make a theoretical contribution to the existing literature on postcolonial urbanism and explore space from a local vantage point for understanding how to look inwards for aspiration.

On Tuesday 13 September 2022, all Mahsa Amini has planned is a day shopping in Tehran. Her birthday is next week. But she is arrested as she comes out of the subway – the Guidance Patrol deem her hijab inadequate. On Friday she is pronounced dead. By Sunday, women have taken to the streets across Iran, setting their headscarves on fire and cursing the Supreme Leader. Months later, workers down their tools and businesses close. The battle cry everywhere: Women, Life, Freedom. This isn’t a passing protest wave; something has changed irrevocably. Arash Azizi guides us through Iran ablaze, history being made in real time. From an International Women’s Day celebrated inside Iran’s most notorious prison to mass strikes in Kurdistan, ordinary Iranians are taking risks to fight for a better future. Even as the regime spills blood in retaliation, Iranians have not given up. Today one thing’s clear: no Supreme Leader can turn the clock back. A different Iran is within sight; Azizi shows us what it might look like.

From the twentieth century onward, women took on an extraordinary range of roles in intelligence, defying the conventions of their time. Across both world wars, far from being a small part of covert operations, women ran spy networks and escape lines, parachuted behind enemy lines, and interrogated prisoners. And, back in Bletchley and Whitehall, women’s vital administrative work in MI offices kept the British war engine running. In this major, panoramic history, Helen Fry looks at the rich and varied work women undertook as civilians and in uniform. From spies in the Belgian network "La Dame Blanche," knitting coded messages into jumpers, to those who interpreted aerial images and even ran entire sections, Fry shows just how crucial women were in the intelligence mission. Filled with hitherto unknown stories, Women in Intelligence places new research on record for the first time and showcases the inspirational contributions of these remarkable women.