For Beginners

Originally published by Writers and Readers in 1998 and republished in 2008 by Hampton Roads, this is an iconoclastic, illustrated romp through the life of the Buddha - both a credible exploration of his life and teachings and an entertaining introduction to the philosophy of Buddhism. Many Westerners know about the meditation practices of Buddhism, but few understand the Buddha's philosophical te

PROUST FOR BEGINNERS is a compelling biography of French novelist, Marcel Proust, and a vivid portrait of his times. It, also, serves as a concise guide and critical review of In Search of Lost Time (À la recherche du temps perdu, 7 volumes, 1913–1927), one of the most difficult—yet widely taught—works of French literature.With extensive passages from 'In Search of Lost Time' and other essential w

C.S. Lewis For Beginners is a thorough examination of C. S. Lewis, the greatest Christian apologist of the twentieth century, throughout his career as an author and as a professor at Oxford University. A Christian apologist defends Christianity as a consistent and coherent worldview that squares with human reason, history, and desire. It offers answers to every facet of our lives on earth as wel

Stanislavski (1863 – 1938) was the first person to develop a cogent and practical system of acting. Throughout his life he sought the answers to some fundamental questions:· What is great acting?· Is there a grammar of acting? Can it be taught?· What are the steps you should go through to create a character?· How can you find inspiration at every performance?Stanislavski remains the most important

Why does philosophy give some people a headache, others a real buzz, and yet others a feeling that it is subversive and dangerous? Why do a lot of people think philosophy is totally irrelevant? What is philosophy anyway? The ABCs of philosophy --easy to understand but never simplistic. Beginning with basic questions posed by the ancient Greeks - What is knowledge? What is good and evil?"Philosophy

From Paleolithic cave-painting to postmodernism, ART THEORY FOR BEGINNERS is a concise and entertaining survey of the major historical and current debates on art. Painters, theorists and philosophers are all included to show how the idea of art has developed over the last 5,000 years.Art is a visual representation of a range of concepts, stories and emotions, including curiosity, humanity, politic

Marx's 'Das Kapital' cannot be put into a box marked "economics." It is a work of politics, history, economics, philosophy and even in places, literature (yes Marx's style is that rich and evocative). Marx's 'Das Kapital' For Beginners is an introduction to the Marxist critique of capitalist production and its consequences for a whole range of social activities such as politics, media, education

What is Black History? Did you know what blacks were in Cortez’s crew in Mexico, with Pizarro in Peru and Alvarado in Quito…that when Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean, 30 black people were with him….that when Alarcon and Coronado conquered Mexico, black people were with them too? Any misunderstandings between blacks and whites in today’s society tend to stem from the mi

J.R.R. Tolkien sweeps us away to a distant time and place that is at the same time, our own time and place. He takes us to a world where difficult choices must be made and are made, where character is defined by those choices, and where redemption is possible though not always embraced.The Lord of the Rings taps a deep root in the human psyche. There is much death, destruction, and defeat in Tolki

What kind of artists put a moustache on the Mona Lisa? Enter a urinal in an art competition? Declare their own independent republic? Hijack a ship? Dadas! And what happens to such a movement? With Dada, many of the artists declared their own "Pope" and continued their journey (with no destination) into Surrealism, creating burning giraffes, "amoebic" dogs, and lobster telephones–some of the

Five times a day, close to a billion people turn to the Ka’aba in submission to Allah/God. In the seventeenth century the religion of Islam was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad through the Holy Koran. Since then, Islam has spread to every corner of the world. Starting with the life of Prophet Mohammad, Islam For Beginners details the historic beginnings of Islam and its spread throughout the

Virtually anyone, anywhere knows that six million Jewish human beings were killed in the Jewish Holocaust. But how many African human beings were killed in the Black Holocaust–from the start of the European slave trade (c.1500) to the Civil War (1865)? And how many were enslaved? The Black Holocaust, a travesty that killed millions of African human beings, is the most underreported major eve

In "Malcolm X For Beginners," Bernard Doctor, reveals the teacher, the leader, and the revolutionary voice of change that Malcolm X was, and continues to be. Powerful narrative and graphics tell the story of Malcolm X's life, his journey of self-discovery, his far-reaching ideas, his martyrdom and his impact on an era. Embraced as a righteous prophet of Black power and pride, damned as the voice o

Derrida is one of those annoying geniuses you can take a class on, read half-a-dozen books by and still have no idea what he’s talking about. Derrida’s ‘writing’ is definitely confusing (it’s like he’s pulling the rug out from under the rug that he pulled out from under philosophy). But beneath the confusion, like the heartbeat of a bird in your hand, you can fe

Michel Foucault's work has profoundly affected the teaching of such diverse disciplines as literary criticism, criminology, and gender studies. Arguing that definitions of abnormal behavior are culturally constructed, Foucault explored the unfair division between those who meet and those who deviate from social norms.Foucault's deeply visual sense of scenes such as ritual public executions, lends

The ideas of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger have been described as an intellectual time bomb, as some of the most revolutionary thought in Western history. Despite the enormous amount of secondary scholarships available on Heidegger, it is – due to the complexity of his thought and the density of his writing – difficult for the curious beginner to gain an insight into Heidegger's philosop

The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard was one of the most original thinkers of the 19th Century – and one of the most enigmatic men who ever walked the Earth.Philosophically, Kierkegaard was the “bridge” that led from Hegel to Existentialism.Kierkegaard abhorred Hegel's abstract, Know-it-all idealism that tried to capture reality in a few words. Kierkegaard's attack on social and religious comp

SARTRE FOR BEGINNERS is an accessible yet sophisticated introduction to the life and works of the famous French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre. Sartre was a member of the French underground during WWII, a novelist, a playwright, and a major influence in French political and intellectual life.The book opens with a biographical section, introducing the significant events in the life of the man who co

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in the headlines daily, but do most Americans really understand what it is about? With dramatic events happening almost every day in this region, and the US government increasingly becoming involved, the American public deserves to hear both sides. "Arabs & Israel For Beginners"provides an intelligent, in-depth, yet humorous and accessible Palestinian perspectiv

Noam Chomsky has written over 30 books, he is the most-quoted author on earth, the New York Times calls him “arguably the most important intellectual alive” — yet most people have no idea who he is or what he’s about. Chomsky For Beginners tells you what he’s about: Chomsky is known for his work in two distinct areas — Linguistics and… “gadflying.” (“Gadfly,” the wor