Life: A User's Manual

Life: A User's Manual

Georges Perec

Literature & Fiction / Biographies & Memoirs / Philosophy

In this ingenious book Perec creates an entire microcosm in a Paris apartment block. Serge Valene wants to make an elaborate painting of the building he has made his home for the last sixty years. As he plans his picture, he contemplates the lives of all the people he has ever known there. Chapter by chapter, the narrative moves around the building revealing a marvellously diverse cast of characters in a series of every more unlikely tales, which range from an avenging murderer to an eccentric English millionaire who has devised the ultimate pastime...
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Cosmic Connection

Cosmic Connection

Carl Sagan

Science / Nonfiction / Philosophy

n 1973, Carl Sagan published The Cosmic Connection, a daring view of the universe, which rapidly became a classic work of popular science and inspired a generation of scientists and enthusiasts. This seminal work is reproduced here for a whole new generation to enjoy. In Sagan's typically lucid, lyrical style, he discusses many topics from astrophysics and solar system science, to colonization of other worlds, terraforming and the search for extraterrestrials. [in this book, he] conveys his own excitement and wonder, and relates the revelations of astronomy to the most profound human problems and concerns: issues that are just as valid today as they were 30 years ag
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Physics

Physics

Aristotle

Philosophy / Science / Ethics

For many centuries, Aristotle's Physics was the essential starting point for anyone who wished to study the natural sciences. Now, in the first translation into English since 1930, Aristotle's thought is presented accurately, with a lucid introduction and extensive notes to explain the general structure of each section of the book, and shed light on particular problems. It simplifies and expands the style of the original, making for easier reading and better comprehension.
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Breakthrough

Breakthrough

Tom Morris

Philosophy

Scientists attempting to make a breakthrough into other dimensions were blissfully unaware that a door acts in both directions.A humorous retelling of Genesis from Eve's pole dancing to "Skippy" Noah surfing to Hagar in a french maid outfit and more. Each chapter is a condensed scene making the flow pleasant and easy to follow. Weighing in at just over 10,000 words, this short novella allows you to breeze through the beginning of time in an afternoon, perhaps even saying to yourself, "I didn't know it happened like THAT."
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The Last Enemy - Part 2 - 2011-2023

The Last Enemy - Part 2 - 2011-2023

Luca Luchesini

Psychology / Politics / Philosophy

Part 2 of the Last Enemy, where the team that has vowed to keep secret Telomerax, the ultimate anti-aging drug, is eventually detected by the secret services of Israel and the US. Louis Picard and his friends engage with very dangerous allies to bring the drug to the public in the safest possible way, but will they succeed?“The last enemy to be destroyed shall be death”, wrote St. Paul in his letters. But what if someone has already managed to defeat it? Thirty-four years have gone by since an ingenious biochemist, named Louis Picard, invented the ultimate anti-aging drug in 1981, that is known as Telomerax. Louis was obliged to form a selected group of technology entrepreneurs, finance mavens, and secret service professionals to help strategically spread knowledge of the drug. The discovery of Telomerax carried obvious dangers with it, eventually leading to the collapse of society and the near-extinction of mankind, in the ruthless war that broke out. Survivors set out to design a new society, specially designed for the half-gods that individuals were becoming. An action-packed and thrilling apocalyptic novel, “The Last Enemy”, brings to light many issues that we face today, from the clash between the power of the state and the right of citizens, to respecting our limits and controlling the human drive to push ourselves beyond those very limits.
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The Good Apprentice

The Good Apprentice

Iris Murdoch

Fiction / Philosophy

A sly, witty, and beautifully orchestrated tale about the difficulty of being good Edward Baltram is overwhelmed with guilt. His nasty little prank has gone horribly wrong: he has fed his closest friend a sandwich laced with a hallucinogenic drug and the young man has fallen out of a window to his death. Consumed with guilt, Edward experiences a debilitating crisis of conscience. While Edward torments himself for not being good, his stepbrother, Stuart, a brilliant mathematics student, quits his promising scholastic career to live like a monk, devoting himself to the difficult task of becoming good. As Stuart seeks salvation, Edward searches for redemption through a reunion with his famous father, the reclusive painter Jesse Baltram. Funny and compelling, The Good Apprentice, first published in 1986*, is at once a supremely sophisticated entertainment and an inquiry into the spiritual crises that afflict the modern world. *First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin Inc. 1986
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The Selected Prose of Fernando Pessoa

The Selected Prose of Fernando Pessoa

Fernando Pessoa

Poetry / Fiction / Philosophy

The Washington Post Book World has written that Fernando Pessoa was "Portugal's greatest writer of the twentieth century [though] some critics would even leave off that last qualifying phrase" and "one of the most appealing European modernists, equal in command and range to his contemporaries Rilke and Mandelstam." The Selected Prose of Fernando Pessoa spans playful philosophical inquiry, Platonic dialogue, and bitter intellectual scrapping between Pessoa and his many literary alter egos ("heteronyms"). The heteronyms launch movements and write manifestos, and one of them attempts to break up Pessoa's only known romantic relationship. Also included is a generous selection from Pessoa's masterpiece, The Book of Disquiet, freshly translated by Richard Zenith from newly discovered materials. The Selected Prose of Fernando Pessoa is an important record of a crucial part of the literary canon.
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Storm Ring

Storm Ring

Stephen J. Carter

Science Fiction / Horror / Philosophy

Woken in orbit about Nebura from what should have been a short-haul hiberstasis, 6 travelers discover their convoy was attacked by unknown forces. They choose to go onworld, issue a beacon, and wait for rescue. A simple plan ... what could possibly go wrong? "Storm Ring" is the first book in the 'Zero Point Light' series.Centrifugal winds and spinning tsunami-like waves …Woken from what should have been a short-haul hiberstasis, six travelers discover their starship convoy was attacked by unknown forces. Brought by ship’s computer to a little-known world, Nebura, they have to choose between returning to the last-known location of their convoy, or going onworld, issuing a beacon, and waiting for rescue. A simple plan ... what could possibly go wrong? Except things aren’t looking so great onworld either – Nebura is succumbing to a virulent environmental stilling. Getting to the only safe place left on the planet means crossing the world-encircling, lightning-filled storm ring – the stuff nightmares are made of. And given the presence of a megalomanical Siqdori leader with big plans and out for revenge, said ring of storms will be the least of their worries … 'Storm Ring' is the first book in the 'Zero Point Light' SF series.
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Homecoming Homecoming Homecoming

Homecoming Homecoming Homecoming

Bernhard Schlink

Literature & Fiction / Philosophy / Politics

Growing up with his mother in Germany, Peter Debauer knows little about his father, an apparent victim of the Second World War. But when he stumbles upon a few pages from a long-lost novel, Peter embarks on aquest that leads him across Europe to the United States, chasing fragments of a story within a story and a master of disguises who may or may not exist. Homecoming" "is a tale of fathersand sons, men and women, war and peace. It reveals the humanity that survives the trauma of war and the ongoing possibility for redemption. "From the Trade Paperback edition."
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Purgatory

Purgatory

Dante Alighieri

Poetry / Religion / Philosophy

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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Marx: A Very Short Introduction

Marx: A Very Short Introduction

Peter Singer

Philosophy / Social Sciences

In Marx: A Very Short Introdution, Peter Singer identifies the central vision that unifies Marx's thought, enabling us to grasp Marx's views as a whole. He sees him as a philosopher primarily concerned with human freedom, rather than as an economist or a social scientist. In plain English, he explains alienation, historical materialism, the economic theory of Capital, and Marx's ideas of communism, and concludes with an assessment of Marx's legacy. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
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Ageless Body, Timeless Mind

Ageless Body, Timeless Mind

Deepak Chopra

Science / Spirituality / Philosophy

Scientific studies show that the mind/body connection has an extraordinary power to heal. Ageless Body, Timeless Mind goes beyond ancient mind/body wisdom and current anti-aging research to show you do not have to grow old. With the passage of time, you can retain your physical vitality, creativity, memory and self-esteem. Dr Deepak Chopra bases his theories on the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, according to which, optimum health is about achieving balance physically, emotionally and psychologically, and demonstrates that, contrary to our traditional beliefs about aging, we can use out innate capacity for balance to direct the way our bodies metabolize time and achieve our unbounded potential.
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