Elliott Books

The engaging photos in this book are irresistible thanks to Elliott's strong narrative voice; she will lure browsers to their nearest armchairs and turn them into time machines. Elliott will entice, by the merest suggestion in a caption, even the least romantic peruser of this book into a thousand daydreams. Some will awake and go on with their lives, but others will be more securely hooked; they will be prompted to find out more about something only glimpsed, to visit a library, to visit Oxford, to read a novel, or write one. This book is as much a gift to the creative spirit as to the history buff. Those interested in Victoriana and particularly in recreating rooms with some authenticity will find the college interiors circa 1900 themselves worth the price of the book. Among these rare perspectives are the dorm room with its curtained, pillowed alcove and its rocking chairs and the reading room with its tablecloths each anchored by an attractive potted plant. The book concludes with a tantalizing look at ten "notable residents of Oxford" among whom are the infamous Moon sisters, journalist Whitelaw Reid and composer Edgar Stillman Kelley. This is the sort of book you will want to share with friends; for that reason, serious collectors will want to buy two.

This fun dictionary holds the intriguing stories behind 2,000 new words in the news. For each word there are entertaining quotations that put the words in context. Quotations come from a wide variety of sources - from books, newspapers, journals, magazines, advertisements, and the internet.

Here is a sampling of the new words:

1. misper - a missing person
2. FAQ - frequently asked questions, mostly on web sites
3. cashback - cash requested with a debit card purchase
4. spin doctor - political spokesperson who bends the truth
5. loyalty card - a retail card tracking customer purchases
6. drop-dead - referring to an attractive stunning person

On March 31, 1621, Philip III, third Habsburg ruler of Spain, met a premature death, reportedly clutching in panic at the same crucifix his father and grandfather had held on their deathbeds generations before. His son and heir, the sixteen-year-old Philip IV, succeeded to what is now known collectively as the Spanish Empire - a vast conglomeration of lands and people whose progressive decline as a political entity has long remained a basic assumption amongst twentieth century historians and yet whose cultural vitality has given its period the title of "The Golden Age of Spanish Art." The accession of Philip IV seemed to inaugurate a new era of reform after the previous regime's mindless inactivity and self-interested grandee domination. As the contemporary playwright Tirso de Molina remarked, "New architects acceded with the new king."

This premise serves as the central metaphor in A Palace for a King. Elliott, a historian, and Brown, an art historian, examine both the literal and political architecture of the reign, charting the complicated, often surprising interrelation between art and politics. The palace of the title is the Buen Retiro - an intended recreational center built for Philip IV with astonishing speed during the years 1630-33, left largely in neglect after the 1640's, and finally decimated by French and English troops during the Napoleonic wars. In reconstructing the circumstances surrounding its construction and initial occupation, Brown and Elliott attempt to furnish the reader with a "total" history of the Spanish Habsburg court during its penultimate representative's first twenty years of rule.

The scope of the book is immense. In a prose that is precise and elegant, if at times monotonous, it describes the political and economic issues of the day as well as the relationship between the continuously vacillating king and his powerful minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares, who until 1643 held the true control over Spanish government. It then goes on to analyze the palace of the Buen Retiro itself, exploring the process of palace-building and the symbolism of the palace as a repository of the values of the ruling class. Simultaneously, it looks at Spanish baroque painting, theater, and architecture and their inextricable connection to the court at Madrid, which, itself, was in so many ways like a giant theater. Elliott's inquiry and interpretation of the troubles besetting the institution that was then called the monarquía española and of the role played by Olivares makes for particularly rewarding reading.

The book appears to be extremely well-researched and provides an abundance of evidence from primary sources as varied as confidential memoranda, secret expense accounts and drawings of architectural plans; the endnotes alone constitute twenty of its almost three hundred pages. However, it is its very wealth of references and information that also lies at the core of its greatest weakness. Too often, the text becomes bogged down in statistics, where apparently meaningless figures about who paid whom and whose plot of land was where replace any real insights. The authors seem to become trapped in unneeded details, losing track of the larger picture that they originally intended to convey. As a result, in certain chapters, more attention than necessary is devoted to the actual logistics of building the palace and, consequently, not enough to the palace's political, social, and economic implications.

Still, aside from these slightly irritating flaws, Brown and Elliott's work remains a highly absorptive and very informative look at subject that has thus far remained sadly underrepresented amongst the scientific community. The sheer extent of the information to be found makes this book a valuable resource for anyone interested in the period, while the distressing lack of similar studies makes it absolutely essential for those at all curious about Spain's architectural history. It is, in my mind, a fascinating complement and worthy companion to R.A. Stradling's landmark Philip IV and the Government of Spain.

Marianne Elliott has created a masterpiece, a must for any serious student of Ireland or anyone who wants to understand Irish history and politics. Her insight into the United Irishmen and their relationship with France makes for a readable and well-researched piece of scholarship.

The first book issued by Keystone College's newly acquired Nightshade Press is a collection of works by Professor David Elliott, my dad. While it is difficult to separate myself and my family from many of the works included in this volume, I feel that it beautifully evokes a wide range of emotions and images. Recollection and memory are frequent themes and through them the author evokes the humor and sadnness of life and nature.

En este libro descubrirán que sí es posible desarrollar su potencial y alcanzar la excelencia sin una presión excesiva.

This collection reminds us that photography can be not only a harrowing journalistic document, or some supreme aesthetic achievement, but can also be just plain fun. Erwitt seems like the kind of guy who always carries a camera wherever he goes and snaps uncounted numbers of pictures to get a few witty gems. This is THE Erwitt collection, and the lengthy introduction gives some biographical context to the photos. Of course, knowing something of the personal context of a photographer's work isn't absolutely necessary (the photos speak for themselves if they are any good) but these are styled "PERSONAL Exposures" after all, so it makes sense to know a little about the man. This is a big, generous book, and the photos were obviously selected and ordered with care. An excellent overview of an interesting career.

This small text is a very useful introductory reference to social psychology. Pitched at an undergraduate level or for the inquiring layperson, McGinnies writes in a simple, almost conversational style. Each chapter deals with a particular social phenomenon simply and straightforwardly, and does an excellent job of surveying competing theories and evidence. Chapters end with a well-chosen set of important references to the phenomenon at issue, making this book useful to the specialist too. Moreover, these aren't just lists: brief comments indicate the relevance and overall content of each reference, a great time-saver for those doing more casual research.

This is a great book of photography, by a true master of composition. While he is also a very capable commercial photographer (he took that picture of the French man and boy riding away on a bicycle that every student of French has seen), Erwitt's real talent is capturing candid scenes that are surreal, funny, or just plain odd. He is particularly good at taking animals, buildings, and inanimate objects and making them look somehow human, which can be a really moving effect. Highly recommended to photographers and fans of both art and humor.

I bought this book a few years ago, soon after it was published. In my opinion it is the best ever written book bridging solid-state chemistry and physics. It is clearly written and logically organized in 8 chapters (770 pages, index included):

1) Synthesis and preparation of materials;
2) Atomic structure and bonding;
3) Defects;
4) Atomic dynamics;
5) Electrons in solids;
6) Electron dynamics;
7) Dielectric and magnetic properties;
8) Reduced dimensionality.

Why is there a need for such a book? Traditionally the communities of solid-state physicists and chemists are splitted and, with rare exceptions, there is little communication and exchange among them. Broadly speaking, physicists like to see (and use) lot of mathematical formulae to study idealized systems whereas chemists like to concentrate their attention on both structural aspects and reactivity (ex. catalysis) of solids. Furthermore, the latter investigate far more complex solids (from the structural point of view) such as molecular crystals, which are characterized by intricated intermolecular interactions, while the former prefer to play with pure metals and semiconductors, which are characterized by a high degree of crystal symmetry and without defects. Each community has developed its own jargon and, hence, it remains difficult for someone to understand either. As a result, it is easy to stay playing in each other backyard, under the protection of solid fences. The negative aspect of this situation is that much of the interesting Science lies at interface of traditional disciplines. Yes, lot of efforts are necessary to jump over the fence and play in your neighbor's backyard; at the beginning you will feel (and fear!) his superiority but after a while you may come up with something new that neither him nor yourself could have ever discovered if remaining to play in the original field. Dr. Elliott's book helps those courageous scientists to jump over the fence and have a look into the neighbor's playground. Don't be afraid. Another book written with the same philosophy in mind is Springborg's "Methods of Electronic Structure Calculations".