The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written

The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written PDF Author: Martin Seymour-Smith
Publisher: Citadel Press
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 532

Book Description
The hundred books discussed here have radically altered the course of civilisation , whether they have embodied religions practised by millions, achieved the pinnacle of artistic expression, pointed the way to scientific discovery of enormous consequence, redirected beliefs about the nature of man, or forever altered the global political landscape. For each there is a historical overview, an analysis of the work's effect on our lives today and a lively discussion of the reasons for inclusion.

Inventing the Way of the Samurai

Inventing the Way of the Samurai PDF Author: Oleg Benesch
Publisher: Past and Present Book
ISBN: 0198706626
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Book Description
Inventing the Way of the Samurai examines the development of the 'way of the samurai' - bushido; - which is popularly viewed as a defining element of the Japanese national character and even the 'soul of Japan'. Rather than a continuation of ancient traditions, however, bushido; developed from a search for identity during Japan's modernization in the late nineteenth century. The former samurai class were widely viewed as a relic of a bygone age in the 1880s, and the first significant discussions of bushido at the end of the decade were strongly influenced by contemporary European ideals of gentlemen and chivalry. At the same time, Japanese thinkers increasingly looked to their own traditions in search of sources of national identity, and this process accelerated as national confidence grew with military victories over China and Russia. Inventing the Way of the Samurai considers the people, events, and writings that drove the rapid growth of bushido, which came to emphasize martial virtues and absolute loyalty to the emperor. In the early twentieth century, bushido; became a core subject in civilian and military education, and was a key ideological pillar supporting the imperial state until its collapse in 1945. The close identification of bushido; with Japanese militarism meant that it was rejected immediately after the war, but different interpretations of bushido; were soon revived by both Japanese and foreign commentators seeking to explain Japan's past, present, and future. This volume further explores the factors behind the resurgence of bushido, which has proven resilient through 130 years of dramatic social, political, and cultural change.

Honor Your Anger

Honor Your Anger PDF Author: Beverly Engel
Publisher: Wiley + ORM
ISBN: 1118039769
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 277

Book Description
From a leading expert, a guide to changing your anger style and successfully communicating your feelings. Do you act out your anger in destructive or underhanded ways? Or do you suppress your anger and turn other people’s abuse and criticism against yourself? Anger is a normal, healthy emotion. But if it’s channeled in negative directions, anger can do real damage to you and your loved ones. In this provocative, healing book, psychotherapist Beverly Engel explains why your personal anger style may be hurting your relationships, your career, and yourself. She then shows you step by step how to transform a negative anger style into a positive one. Once you've discovered how to express your anger in healthy ways, you'll find that anger can empower you, motivate you to make important changes, and help you gain a sense of control over your life. “You can indeed learn to understand and manage your anger, and this book will show you how.” —Robert Epstein, Ph.D., West Coast Editor, Psychology Today, Director Emeritus, Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, University Research Professor, California School of Professional Psychology “A critical first step for people who have trouble getting in touch with their anger and expressing it in direct and appropriate ways.” —Virginia Williams, Ph.D., coauthor of Anger Kills and Lifeskills

Unbroken

Unbroken PDF Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812974492
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 530

Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. Appearing in paperback for the first time—with twenty arresting new photos and an extensive Q&A with the author—Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit, brought vividly to life by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand. Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award “Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York “Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People “A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post “Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review “Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News “An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly “A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian “[Hillenbrand tells this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time “Hillenbrand [is] one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Sink Reflections

Sink Reflections PDF Author: Marla Cilley
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307418324
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
Discover how to create order in your home and life with this “chatty and personal” (Chicago Tribune) guide from the FlyLady “Take off with FlyLady! Her down-to-earth writing will help anyone who desires to be lifted free from the chaos and confusion disorder causes.”—Pam Young and Peggy Jones, coauthors of Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise Fly out of CHAOS (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome) into Order—one baby step at a time. With her special blend of housecleaning tips, humor, and musings about daily life, Marla Cilley, a.k.a. The FlyLady, shows you how to manage clutter and chaos and get your home—and your life—in order. Drawn from the lessons and tools used in her popular mentoring program, the FlyLady system helps you create doable housekeeping routines and break down overwhelming chores into manageable missions that will restore peace to your home—and your psyche. Soon you’ll be able to greet guests without fear, find your keys, locate your kids, and, most of all, learn how to FLY: Finally Love Yourself.

The Art of Unit Testing

The Art of Unit Testing PDF Author: Roy Osherove
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1638353050
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 459

Book Description
Summary The Art of Unit Testing, Second Edition guides you step by step from writing your first simple tests to developing robust test sets that are maintainable, readable, and trustworthy. You'll master the foundational ideas and quickly move to high-value subjects like mocks, stubs, and isolation, including frameworks such as Moq, FakeItEasy, and Typemock Isolator. You'll explore test patterns and organization, working with legacy code, and even "untestable" code. Along the way, you'll learn about integration testing and techniques and tools for testing databases and other technologies. About this Book You know you should be unit testing, so why aren't you doing it? If you're new to unit testing, if you find unit testing tedious, or if you're just not getting enough payoff for the effort you put into it, keep reading. The Art of Unit Testing, Second Edition guides you step by step from writing your first simple unit tests to building complete test sets that are maintainable, readable, and trustworthy. You'll move quickly to more complicated subjects like mocks and stubs, while learning to use isolation (mocking) frameworks like Moq, FakeItEasy, and Typemock Isolator. You'll explore test patterns and organization, refactor code applications, and learn how to test "untestable" code. Along the way, you'll learn about integration testing and techniques for testing with databases. The examples in the book use C#, but will benefit anyone using a statically typed language such as Java or C++. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. What's Inside Create readable, maintainable, trustworthy tests Fakes, stubs, mock objects, and isolation (mocking) frameworks Simple dependency injection techniques Refactoring legacy code About the Author Roy Osherove has been coding for over 15 years, and he consults and trains teams worldwide on the gentle art of unit testing and test-driven development. His blog is at ArtOfUnitTesting.com. Table of Contents PART 1 GETTING STARTED The basics of unit testing A first unit test PART 2 CORE TECHNIQUES Using stubs to break dependencies Interaction testing using mock objects Isolation (mocking) frameworks Digging deeper into isolation frameworks PART 3 THE TEST CODE Test hierarchies and organization The pillars of good unit tests PART 4 DESIGN AND PROCESS Integrating unit testing into the organization Working with legacy code Design and testability

Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed

Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed PDF Author: Adam Nathan
Publisher: Pearson Education
ISBN: 0132715627
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 809

Book Description
Printed entirely in color, with helpful figures and syntax coloring to make code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a key component of the .NET Framework 3.0, giving you the power to create richer and more compelling applications than you dreamed possible. Whether you want to develop traditional user interfaces or integrate 3D graphics, audio/video, animation, dynamic skinning, rich document support, speech recognition, or more, WPF enables you to do so in a seamless, resolution-independent manner. Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed is the authoritative book that covers it all, in a practical and approachable fashion, authored by .NET guru and Microsoft developer Adam Nathan. · Covers everything you need to know about Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) · Examines the WPF feature areas in incredible depth: controls, layout, resources, data binding, styling, graphics, animation, and more · Features a chapter on 3D graphics by Daniel Lehenbauer, lead developer responsible for WPF 3D · Delves into non-mainstream topics: speech, audio/video, documents, bitmap effects, and more · Shows how to create popular UI elements, such as features introduced in the 2007 Microsoft Office System: Galleries, ScreenTips, custom control layouts, and more · Demonstrates how to create sophisticated UI mechanisms, such as Visual Studio-like collapsible/dockable panes · Explains how to develop and deploy all types of applications, including navigation-based applications, applications hosted in a Web browser, and applications with great-looking non-rectangular windows · Explains how to create first-class custom controls for WPF · Demonstrates how to create hybrid WPF software that leverages Windows Forms, ActiveX, or other non-WPF technologies · Explains how to exploit new Windows Vista features in WPF applications

No Beginning, No End

No Beginning, No End PDF Author: Jakusho Kwong
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1590308115
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
In No Beginning, No End, Zen master Jakusho Kwong-roshi shows us how to treasure the ordinary activities of our daily lives through an understanding of simple Buddhist practices and ideas. The author’s spontaneous, poetic, and pragmatic teachings—so reminiscent of his spiritual predecessor Shunryu Suzuki (Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind)—transport us on an exciting journey into the very heart of Zen and its meaningful traditions. Because Kwong-roshi can transmit the most intimate thing in the most accessible way, we learn how to ignite our own vitality, wisdom, and compassion and awaken a feeling of intimacy with the world. It is like having a conversation with our deepest and wisest self. Jakusho Kwong-roshi was originally inspired to study Zen because of zenga, the ancient art of Zen calligraphy. Throughout this book he combines examples of his own unique style of calligraphy, with less-known stories from the Zen tradition, personal anecdotes—including moving and humorous stories of his training with Suzuki-roshi—and his own lucid and inspiring teachings. All of this comes together to create an intimate expression of the enlightening world of Zen.

C Programming Language

C Programming Language PDF Author: Brian W. Kernighan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781548817701
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Book Description
C++ was written to help professional C# developers learn modern C++ programming. The aim of this book is to leverage your existing C# knowledge in order to expand your skills. Whether you need to use C++ in an upcoming project, or simply want to learn a new language (or reacquaint yourself with it), this book will help you learn all of the fundamental pieces of C++ so you can begin writing your own C++ programs.This updated and expanded second edition of Book provides a user-friendly introduction to the subject, Taking a clear structural framework, it guides the reader through the subject's core elements. A flowing writing style combines with the use of illustrations and diagrams throughout the text to ensure the reader understands even the most complex of concepts. This succinct and enlightening overview is a required reading for all those interested in the subject .We hope you find this book useful in shaping your future career & Business.

The AWK Programming Language

The AWK Programming Language PDF Author: Alfred V. Aho
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 0138269777
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 650

Book Description
Awk was developed in 1977 at Bell Labs, and it's still a remarkably useful tool for solving a wide variety of problems quickly and efficiently. In this update of the classic Awk book, the creators of the language show you what Awk can do and teach you how to use it effectively. Here's what programmers today are saying: "I love Awk." "Awk is amazing." "It is just so damn good." "Awk is just right." "Awk is awesome." "Awk has always been a language that I loved." It's easy: "Simple, fast and lightweight." "Absolutely efficient to learn because there isn't much to learn." "3-4 hours to learn the language from start to finish." "I can teach it to new engineers in less than 2 hours." It's productive: "Whenever I need to do a complex analysis of a semi-structured text file in less than a minute, Awk is my tool." "Learning Awk was the best bang for buck investment of time in my entire career." "Designed to chew through lines of text files with ease, with great defaults that minimize the amount of code you actually have to write to do anything." It's always available: "AWK runs everywhere." "A reliable Swiss Army knife that is always there when you need it." "Many systems lack Perl or Python, but include Awk." Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.