When we think of great events in the history of the world, we tend to think of war, revolution, political upheaval or natural catastrophe. But throughout history there have been moments of vital importance that have taken place not on the battlefield, or in the palaces of power, or even in the violence of nature, but between the pages of a book.
In our digitised age of instant information it is easy to underestimate the power of the printed word. In his fascinating new book accompanying the ITV series, Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. Twelve Books that Changed the World presents a rich variety of human endeavour and a great diversity of characters. There are also surprises. Here are famous books by Darwin, Newton and Shakespeare - but we also discover the stories behind some less well-known works, such as Marie Stopes' Married Love, the original radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - and even the rules to an obscure ball game that became the most popular sport in the world . . .
12 Books that changed the World – Melvyn Bragg
50 Psychology Classics explores writings from some iconic figures such as Freud, Adler, Jung, skinner, James, Piaget and Pavolv, but also highlights the work of contemporary thinkers such as Gardner, Gilbert, Goleman and Seligman. We all need a personal theory of what makes people tick. To survive and thrive, we have to know who and what we are, and to be canny about the motivations of others. The common route to this knowledge is life experience, but we can advance our appreciation of the subject more quickly through reading.
50 Psychology Classics – Tom Butler- Bowdon
Goleman taught us the importance of Emotional Intelligence. Since the publication of his Eq 'exposition', a whole array of Emotional Intelligence books has appeared, with each title purporting to put those theories of Eq into practice. This book goes deeper. Revealing the structure beneath Emotional Intelligence, 7 Steps utilises its unique framework to combine Eq and Neuro Linguistic Programming (Nlp) - the study of excellence that examines how behaviour is neurologically formulated. 7 Steps confidently integrates the insights of Eq and Nlp to promote a greater understanding of how emotions work - and how they can be worked upon. This book is driven by one important message: 'don't just think about it, do it.' A model-based guide packed with powerful Nlp exercises and self-assessment techniques, it allows you to generate your own trics, and to partake in an intensive Eq excellence course that utilises the self-programming practices of Nlp. A thoroughly structured, functionally formatted guide to improving your Eq, 7 Steps serves as a textbook of Eq theory, a manual of Nlp techniques, and a workbook that systematically leads you through the process of dynamic Eq improvement. It answers the essential Eq questions: - what do my emotions mean? - how do I manage my emotions? - how can I deal with conflicts in an emotionally intelligent way? - what motivates people and how can I take that into account? - how can I handle situations in the best possible way? - how do I get what I want?
7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence – Patrick E. Merlevede, M.Sc Denis Bridoux & Rudy Vandamme
At the age of thirty-one, John Nash, mathematical genius, suffered a devastating breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yet after decades of leading a ghost-like existence, he was to re-emerge to win a Nobel Prize and world acclaim. A Beautiful Mind has inspired the Oscar-winning film directed by Ron Howard and featuring Russell Crowe in the lead role of John Nash.
A Beautiful Mind- Sylvia Nasaar
Big ideas sometimes come from the strangest places. In this wide ranging introduction, James M Russell takes the fear out of philosophy and selects seventy-six works - from Plato, Descartes and Wittgenstein to Philip K Dick and the Moomins as well as contemporary thinkers such as Peter Singer and John Rawls. Dividing into accessible sections - history, contemplation, happiness, and -isms, Russell gives us the lives as well as the lessons of the great thinkers, including a digest of their key ideas. A perfect antidote to the complex life. The topics and books covered include: Traditional Philosophy: The Republic, Plato; The Confessions, St Augustine; The Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes; On Liberty, John Stuart Mill; Philisophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstein; Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant. Outsiders: Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard; Beyond Good and Evil, Frederick Nietzsche; The Outsider, Albert Camus; Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley. Contemplation as Philosophy: The Prophet, Kahil Gibran; Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig; The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff. The Continental Tradition: The Prison Notebooks, Antonio Gramsci; The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault; Symbolic Exchange and Death, Jean Baudrillard. How to Live Your Life: The Art of War, Sun Tzu; Maxims, La Rouchefoucauld; Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Carl Jung; On Sexuality, Sigmund Freud; On Becoming a Person, Carl Rogers. Political and Personal Issues: Das Kapital, Karl Marx; Being and Nothingness, Jean Paul Sartre; Gaia, James Lovelock. Modern Philosophy: A Theory of Justice, John Rawls; Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel Dennett; After the Terror, Ted Honderich.
A Brief Guide to PHILOSOPHICAL CLASSICS (From Plato to Winnie the Pooh) – James M. Russell
Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These are just some of the questions considered in an internationally acclaimed masterpiece by one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes – Stephen Hawking
Do you feel unhappy or unfulfilled? Tired and stressed? Lacking focus and energy?
Then you need Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. In this ground-breaking classic, he gives you the spiritual framework to:
- Understand yourself better
- Manage, manifest and achieve your goals
- Reach your full potential
- Channel conflict into something positive
- Change negative habits
- Live in the moment
Open your mind and follow Eckhart Tolle's guidance to happiness and health in the modern world. A New Earth is waiting for you.
A New Earth: Create a better Life – Eckhart Tolle
The Pilgrim's Progress is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan in the 17th century, depicting a person's journey from sin and despair to salvation and the Celestial City (Heaven). It is one of the most significant works in English religious literature and has never been out of print.
A Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
In a cosy back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.
Prepare to meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the cafe’s time-travelling offer in order to:
- confront the man who left them
- receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by Alzheimer's
- see their sister one last time
- meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat. They cannot leave the cafe. And finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .
Before the coffee gets cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare -- poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him "The Fittest (Real) Man in America."
In Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the odds – David Goggins